


Returning to Pemberley Digital

by AMASanonymous



Category: Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-20
Updated: 2013-04-29
Packaged: 2017-11-26 04:20:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/646506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AMASanonymous/pseuds/AMASanonymous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Lydia's settled and the family are happy, Lizzie is still credits short of graduating. With her thesis project still running, she needs her independent study completed. As her previous term with Pemberley Digital was cut short, she returns to finish what she started.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

**Authors note: This is a multi-chaptered story, I'm currently writing chapters in between packing to move so they may vary in length of chapters.**

Lizzie's fingernails dug into the warm skin of his back and she knew instinctively that he would have a mark there by morning. Her eyes closed, she arched her back, gasping for breath as she heard his own pants next to her ear. It was hot. They were sweaty and clinging to one another as his hands on her body made her feel like she was on fire. Shaking her head, the feeling was too much, it was too intense and it wasn't what she wanted. No, it was exactly what she wanted, she just didn't know how to deal with all of it at once.

Her breath caught and she felt him shift and opened her eyes to see him directly above her, his mouth within kissing distance. The warmth of his own breathing ghosting along her lips as she struggled to maintain eye contact with what he was doing to her. His eyes were dark, pupils enlarged and the look on his face made her pulse flutter higher.

"Will." She whispered out as his mouth descended upon hers. Kissing her firmly, easing her lips apart to slide his tongue against hers. Her hand that had felt like lead on the bed beside her lifted up to run her fingers through his hair and they tightened as he teased her with his tongue and lips.

**Two Weeks Earlier**

She stood outside the glass building of Pemberley Digital, a little less daunted this time around, but nervous all the same. Her hands gripped the access pass she had been given the last time by Gigi, she had forgotten to return it and on her request to finish shadowing Pemberley, she was told to bring it back to have it reactivated.

Reactivated. That was a words she felt was going to be said a lot. A lot of reactivation. It seemed like she had to reactive her entire life. Lydia was happy again, she was settled, maybe even a little bit more grown up. She wasn't sure what to think where that was concerned, but she had been assured that everything was fine. And Dr Gardiner had told her that given the circumstance and her dedication to her thesis project, she would be given an extension on her shadowing project.

She wouldn't graduate on time, but in the scheme of things. Lizzie didn't care as much about that any longer. Too much had happened that year for her to be stressed about timing of graduation. The mere fact alone that she was allowed to return to Pemberley was a miracle. Or the handiwork of Gigi Darcy, she wasn't entirely certain. But she had one person that may or may not be in that building that she both dreaded and desperately wanted to see.

Tightening her hand on the strap of her bag, she walked through the large glass doors into Pemberley Digital and was overwhelmed once again by how big and state of the art everything was. It hadn't been that long since she had been there, but things seemed different.

Approaching the security desk where a man and two women were answering phone calls and placing people on hold, she waited until she saw a hand go up to wave her over. The man was still on the phone, but he held his hand out expectantly.

"Oh." Lizzie was taken aback, but she held out her previous access card and let the man take it from her. He looked at her and then at the photograph and at the name, all with a raised eyebrow but didn't say anything else as he typed something into the computer and scanned her card.

Hanging up the phone, he gave the card back to her and pointed to the collection of comfortable chairs behind her. "Wait there please for your guide."

"Oh, I've been here before, I don't nee-"

She paused as she realised that he would know she'd been there before as her access card would show it, and the fact she even had an access card would suggest that Pemberley Digital and herself were acquainted. But for things that were familiar, it still felt like the first day and like she had to make an impression. Taking a seat in an oversized arm chair, she looked out the window at the view of San Francisco, it was clouding a little outside and that would make it difficult to light her video later but she would make it work.

Peering into the windows, she saw the reflection of somebody very familiar in the background. "Darcy?" She said quietly to herself and turned quickly to see if she could catch where he was. But there wasn't a sign of him anywhere. No photographs to suggest where the reflection came from. Peering around the edge of the arm chair, she tried to see if he had gone done some corridor somewhere.

Realising she must look like an idiot, she collapsed back into the chair. What was she going to do anyway? Run after the CEO of the company she was trying to make a good impression on, begging his forgiveness and showing her gratitude? She would be removed from Pemberley or become a laughing stock. Or worse, she would sully the reputation of William Darcy again. Maybe it was best if she wasn't to be looking or him, although there was a pang of something inside that wanted to disagree with her own statement.

Great, she was even arguing with herself.

"Lizzie!" Another familiar voice echoed out as she found herself in the path of a dark haired female bullet. Standing up from the chair in time, she found herself being hugged by the younger sister and a stake holder in the company.

"Gigi!" Lizzie laughed and returned the hug although she didn't know what she had done to deserve it, and if anything had probably done more to earn Gigi's hatred. "Are you my guide again?" Lizzie asked when they had detangled themselves from one another.

"Of course!" Gigi laughed and grabbed Lizzie's hand to start to guide her towards the main offices.

"Wait wait," She laughed, "I need my bag."

Returning the few steps she had been dragged, she grabbed her bag and proceeded to follow Gigi through the rabbit warren of corridors. "So Lizzie, I can't tell you how happy I am that you're back. I'm so glad you did. How have you been?" The questions were fired at her one by one.

"I'm good, family stuff is better and so I'm glad to be back. How-" She wanted to ask but it felt too soon. "How are you? How's grad school applications?"

"Urgh, so many essays." Gigi answered as she turned another sharp corner, leaving Lizzie to have to double back to keep up. "And all of them are due at once, you would think they could coordinate things better. But things are good around here." There was an innocent smile on Gigi's face that Lizzie had learnt through videos and time now meant something different. She was daring Lizzie to ask.

"I thought I saw Darcy earlier." Lizzie mentioned casually ad narrowed her eyes in thought, shaking her head, she added. "William. It's probably strange to you both called Darcy."

"Oh I'm used to it. Fitz called him that before he met me, so I know it's not me. But it is strange."

Lizzie looked at Gigi as they walked. "What's strange?"

"That you saw him."

"Fitz?" Gigi had the ability sometimes to confuse her quite a lot.

"No no silly, not Fitz, my brother. It's strange you saw him?" Gigi answered happily and swiped her own card to gain access to another side of the building.

"At his own company?" Lizzie asked and then looked around. "Where are we going?"

"Your office, unless you really want the tour. I can do that if you want." She suggested but Lizzie shook her head.

"No, it's fine. Why is it strange?"

Gigi paused and looked at Lizzie curiously. "That you saw William?"

She wanted to sigh in frustration. "Yes. That I saw him."

Gigi shrugged and opened and office door. "Because he's in LA."


	2. Chapter 2

Lizzie followed Gigi into the room, completely oblivious to her surroundings as she absorbed what Gigi was saying. Darcy wasn't at Pemberley. But she could have sworn that she had seen Darcy in the reflection in the Pemberley lobby. So how could somebody who was miles away be reflected in a window? Lizzie was refusing to believe that she had made him up, but if she pressed the issue than Gigi might get suspicious.

"Huh," Was all she could manage.

"He's in L.A. until next week, meetings every day, I'm surprised if he even gets a chance to text me to tell me he's eaten something." Gigi was adding as Lizzie felt oddly confused by all of this.

She could have sworn that she had seen him. And the way Gigi was looking at her made her feel as though she was going insane. "I guess I must have seen somebody who looked like him." Lizzie tried unimaginatively and Gigi looked as though she was buying it as much as she would buy waterfront property in Las Vegas.

"Maybe." Was all Gigi said in response and Lizzie was thankful for that.

She slowly started to turn around in the office, taking in the new one she had been given. It was bigger, much bigger, with windows that had an amazing view. More amazing than should be given to an intern who wasn't even doing anything productive. The large desk dominated one half of the room, a large enough space to film in was left blank for her to fill in with what she wanted and she was sure she was near kitchens as the smell of food was enticing.

"Or maybe you just wanted to see him."

The sentence brought her back out of her daydream about food and back to the not so innocent face of Georgiana Darcy. It hadn't taken much the last time she had been there to not trust a single word she said when it came to her older brother. And Fitz was just as bad. "Are you sure he's in L.A?" Lizzie was a little suspicious now but Gigi typed a few things into her phone and held it out to her.

"Positive."

And there it was, William Darcy's face looking back up at her from his twitter profile. And in clear letters. In LA all week. Posted only an hour ago. Lizzie held the phone for a beat longer than she should have before handing it back to Gigi.

"Just making sure, so I know whether I can keep the camera on when you're around."

Gigi wasn't even embarrassed by the statement as she grinned.

"But it worked didn't it?"

Lizzie eyed her cautiously as she rested her bag on her new desk.

"What worked?"

"The plan!"

"What plan?"

"Oh did Fitz never tell you?"

Gigi started to back away, the look on her face saying to Lizzie that Gigi had said too much.

"No," Lizzie answered slowly, "Fitz never told me what?"

"Oh you know, lock you in an office that sort of thing."

"I was there for that, why would Fitz need to tell me that?"

"No idea, it's Fitz. So, do you want to have lunch after you're settled in, the cafeteria is right around-"

"Gigi" Lizzie interrupted as she slowly walked towards the dark haired girl. "What plan is there that I am supposed to know about and will work?"

The younger girl bit her lip as if trying to come up with an answer when her phone chimed. "Oh, look at that, another time, got to go. But lunch?" She had the door opened and was grinning back at Lizzie before she could protest and then was gone.

"Gigi." Lizzie repeated and followed her to the door, but when she opened it, the female Darcy had disappeared from view. Sighing, she held on to the door frame and shook her head. "Great, some things haven't changed."

Turning back into her office, Lizzie had grown accustomed to talking to herself after months of vlogging that she barely noticed it. Closing the door behind her, she looked around the office that had been assigned to her. It was amazing, much bigger than she had had previously and she was suspicious of that. No intern should have an office this nice. Or with this view.

Stepping to the window, she looked down at the parking lot. There were cars everywhere. And she was surprised that this many people could fit their cars into a parking lot. But then Pemberley wasn't exactly short on providing amenities for staff. Biting the inside of her lip, she sighed and reached for her bag. If she wasn't able to get some of her shadow project done, she would at least get some of her vlog video done.

She was setting up the camera, making sure the tripod was steady and the frame was okay with the chair in front of it. The window was both a blessing and a curse with the light coming from it alternatively creating glare or really nice light. The cloud cover outside though wasn't going to do well for natural light so she gave up and swung the camera around the other way and fixed the desk light in a suitable position. It looked odd behind the camera, but it worked.

Flicking the camera on, she waited a few seconds so she was sure she would have a clean start and then launched into it.

"Well, today has been .. interesting." Lizzie was hesitant how to start, even after all this time she wasn't confident in her introductions. "I'm back at Pemberley Digital, new office, strangely amazing office. I didn't think that interns would get this kind of office but if this is what we get, than I would love to see what the executives sit in all day. But that's not all, my name is Lizzie Bennet, and there is a plan afoot."

She paused as she mentally sang the song she had combined so many times with her videos and waited.

"So today marks the return to Pemberley Digital and Gigi's back as well. Not only that but she mentioned something, really strange about a plan." Lizzie paused and then sighed, she couldn't use that. It was too, boring.

"You know how you can get that feeling sometimes that something is going to happen? Gigi Darcy returned today as my tour guide and I am back at Pemberley, wait I said that." Taking a beat, she tried again. "I don't know what the plan is, I don't know what the plan will entail, but Gigi Darcy is in cahoots with Fitz, and that means, well nothing right now. But last time it resulted in several encounters."

Taking a breath, she continued. "Which I admit, weren't terrible. At least, once I got over the shock of it, were actually kind of okay. But this is my second time back to Pemberley and this time," She tried to find the words. "I'm even more grateful. Is that even the right thing to say? I don't know. I just know I owe Darcy a lot. I don't even know if he watches these any more."

She knew that Gigi and Fitz did however, and she was willing to bet that they would show it if she said something. "But that being said, I have to find a way to outfox the foxes and I know the foxes are watching." Looking out the window, she paused and stood up to walk over. A person was walking across towards their car and if she hadn't seen the tweet she would have sworn it was Darcy.

Narrowing her eyes, aware the camera was still rolling, she crossed to her own phone to pull up twitter. And yes, there it was again, William Darcy was going to be in L.A. all week. Sitting back down at the camera, she eyed it suspiciously. "There's something going on here, and I don't know what it is, but there is no more family drama, my sister's are happy, and I have a project to finish. So I'm not going anywhere until I find out what it is."

–

Outside the door, Gigi had been listening to the video, barely managing to fight the urge to burst in and join in on camera. It was better this way.

"Anything?" Fitz asked behind her and she shushed him as she waited until the end.

"She thinks we're up to something and isn't going anywhere until she finds out what it is."

Fitz looked at Gigi and then at the office. "Has she worked out the office yet?"

"Not that I heard."

"And how long before your brother realises he's meant to be in L.A. according to Twitter?"

"Hopefully he won't check for a week. He rarely tweets."

Fitz looked at her a tad disapproving. "And he thinks she's not arriving until next week?"

"Exactly."

"I don't see how this is going to work."

"Trust me. It'll work fine. It'll drive them crazy."


	3. Chapter 3

"I know it sounds crazy, but I don't know what to make of it. His twitter definitely said that he was in L.A. and there is nothing to doubt that he would be there,"

Lizzie took a breath as she leaned back on the chair. Two days she had been at Pemberley and she could have sworn that she had seen Darcy at least eight times. Always from the back, or maybe from the front but only for a glimpse before she was swept away by Gigi or Fitz distracted her by making some joke. Every time she looked back, he wasn't there.

"Maybe, you expected to see him and since you haven't you are thinking you are." Jane's sweet voice echoed through the telephone and calming Lizzie a little.

"Maybe." Lizzie conceded as she picked at a piece of fluff on the edge of her skirt. "I just-" She looked up to the ceiling and was honest with her older sister. "Don't know what to say to him. I was horrible to him. Could have destroyed his reputation if the videos had gotten out further and reached his staff. And then he, turns around and is unbelievably generous without being asked."

To say she felt like a horrible human being would be kind. She felt like a horrible something. Human being was pushing it when it came to William Darcy. "I don't know, the sooner, I, well, get this thesis done the sooner I can take the videos down and be done with it." Jane was quiet on the other end and Lizzie looked at the telephone to make sure that it hadn't turned itself off. It was still there, still ticking away. "Jane?"

She glanced at her computer to see if there were any emails for her or updates on the information she needed for her independent study and it took a moment before Jane's quiet voice came back on the line. "Lizzie." The slowness of her name had Lizzie sitting up straighter. Jane rarely talked like that.

"Have you ever thought that maybe it's not just the gesture that has you wanting to see him?" The question sounded far more serious from Jane's voice than it did in her head when she asked herself that.

And Jane's voice was harder to dismiss than her own thoughts.

"No." Lizzie lied and the silence on the other end didn't need to be seen to know that Jane was giving the look of disapproval.

"Lizzie, I just want you to be happy. And since Darcy told you how he felt, you haven't really talked about anybody else." Jane's logic was flawed in so many ways that Lizzie couldn't keep track. It wasn't that at all, and the times she might have thought that was something, she easily dismissed it.

"Jane I-" Taking a breath and keeping an eye on the door as she didn't know who else could be watching or listening. "I just want to say thank you and sorry and all that. I know I was wrong, I treated him badly and maybe I was quick to judge. That's all I know."

"For sure." Jane added. "That's all you know for sure. Lizzie, you're my sister and I love you, but everything and everybody is fine now. Look at how far Lydia has come. And Bing and I. Maybe, you need to think about yourself."

Lizzie had been half listening, she wanted to believe what Jane was suggesting, but it was hard to think about anything like that.

"I just want to say thank you." Lizzie reiterated.

It was rare that Jane sighed, but she heard the almost ghostly whisper as Jane came back. "Okay Lizzie. Be safe okay?"

Smiling as it was such a Jane thing to say, Lizzie couldn't help but miss her sister a bit more. "I will be. Bye Jane."

Receiving a similar goodbye, she hung up the phone and sighed. Maybe she should email Darcy, say that she's glad he let her shadow Pemberley again and that the office was beautiful. Her hand hovered over the mouse to bring up the application when Fitz burst into the office without knocking.

"Lizzie B!" He grinned at her, "Let's go."

She stared at him like he had two heads sticking out of his afro. "Excuse me? Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to lunch Lizzie B, we are going to get our food on." He sang the last line and Lizzie had to look at the time.

"It's ten in the morning Fitz." Lizzie pointed out.

"And so this leaves us plenty of time to make up our minds about what we want."

Lizzie frowned a little and slowly nodded her head. "Mmhmm..." The disbelief not at all disguised in her tone.

"Come on Lizzie B, we'll sneak out, be rebels, and I remind you, you are dining with the be eff eff of the CEO of the company." He pointed to himself. "And his sister, so he can't fire her, and it would be unfair to fire us if that's the case. Let's go."

Before she could protest again, she found her arm being pulled up. "Purse!"

"No need, on the account." Fitz told her with a grin and promptly escorted her out of the office and down the hall.

"What is going on Fitz? Is there a reason that we can't get lunch at another hour or that we can't wait until I get a coat?"

Twisting her arm out of his grip, she stopped and stared at him. Even with the afro, he was not as endearing as he usually was. Not after the last time she had been at Pemberley. She wanted to know the plan and she wanted to know it right then. "Fitz come on." She tried to stare him down but something behind him in the corridor caught her eye.

"Darcy?"

Without asking or talking to her about it, Fitz turned her around and started walking towards the exit. "You must be low on blood sugar because you dear are seeing things."

Not believing him, she looked over her shoulder, but he had gone. Damn, maybe she really was seeing things. "Is Darcy here?" Lizzie asked directly as Fitz put a finger to his lips.

"We don't talk when we lunch, until we get food that is, because this way, we can go out and nobody will know." Fitz did a little dance with his one remaining arm that wasn't attached to her. Still, none of it made sense. At all.

"Fitz, Pemberley has a _gourmet_ restaurant." Lizzie reminded him. "It is available around the clock and could probably pick up awards for it's fries. Why are we leaving the gourmet restaurant that you get a staff discount for, to go outside at ten in the morning when it's cold and I have no coat?"

And she could have sworn she saw Darcy. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she scrolled through to her twitter app to launch. She really ought to put Darcy on notifications, but that would seem, _desperate._ Or something.

"Don't app and walk Lizzie, you'll run into three interns who had to flatten themselves to the wall for fear of what you might do."

Lizzie shot him a glare and he held up a hand in mercy.

"Hey, just looking out for my favourite grad student."

She softened. A little. "You say that now."

"I say that until you graduate, and by then Gigi would have gotten into grad school and she'll take the spot."

The problem, the very very big problem with Fitz and Gigi, is that they were incredibly hard to stay mad at. Even the first time that Gigi had thrust her brother upon her, literally, it hadn't taken long for Lizzie to forgive her completely and then to get duped again. The cycle was hideous and she never won. Or was going to win.

"So I'm just a phase?"

"Oh honey," Fitz released her arm to put his own around her shoulder. "I expect that you and I will be seeing each other for a _long_ time."

She narrowed her eyes at that, but he had already escorted her somehow through the building to the front doors. Checking Darcy's twitter feed, she saw nothing about him returning to San Francisco early. She hadn't realised that Fitz had been looking over her shoulder until he spoke again.

"You know, in most states that could be called stalking."

Whirling around to look at him, she clicked her phone to black. "It's not-" She tried to sound convincing, "Stalking, it's merely checking as with the two of you, I like to be better prepared this time."

Fitz didn't seem to get that she was insinuating something about his character, but merely nodded as if considering her answer. "Checking.. what?"

Well, she knew where Gigi was getting it from anyway.

"I'm checking," Her jaw twitched a little as she struggled to come up with a proper answer. "The whereabouts of the CEO of this company so that I may talk with him, as it is part of my shadowing to get the best overview of the company."

That sounded pretty good actually.

Fitz though took her arm again and started to lead her out of the building. "You know, most CEO's have a secretary, I'm sure if you were to contact her, you would be able to make an appointment to do just that."

She didn't want to make an appointment, she just wanted five minutes alone to be able to express her gratitude and thank him. Not to take up his time with information that could be gathered from another source quite easily.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So.. why were you checking?" Fitz continued to ask, trying to prompt her for an answer.

"To see where he was, I told you." She bit back and decided to concentrate on the cars in the parking lot instead.

"But," Fitz nudged her with his shoulder. "We already told you, twitter already told you, that he was in L.A. for a week. You won't see him. At all. For a good few days."

"I swore somebody looked like him back in the building, so I was just checking."

"Checking?"

Lizzie shot him a look. "Checking."

"How often have you been checking?" Fitz asked with presumed innocence.

"Not that often." The quick reply covering up that she had checked nearly on the hour every hour and every time she had seen him in the building. Or thought she had seen him. But every time his twitter had stated that he was in L.A. Nothing changed.

"Is it possible, just possible, Lizzie B, that you may-"

Lizzie cut him off as she noticed something vitally important. "That's his car."

"What?" Fitz turned to look where she was pointing.

"That's his car." She said more firmly, not believing her eyes but she knew that it was his.

"Well Gigi-"

"Gigi can't drive a manual transmission, and she can't drive yet, that's his car. That he drove."

"How do you know his car?"

"I know his car because you and Gigi managed to con him into giving me a lift home when it was raining. In _his_ car. _That_ car." She pointed at it more forcefully. "He's here isn't he? So I haven't just been imagining it."

Fitz didn't know what to say, but he could safely think that Gigi and his plan was very much about to go under. He forgot that Lizzie didn't forget and neither of them had thought about the car. He should have taken her to the cafeteria and hidden at the back.

"You knew that he was here and you let me believe that I was just going nuts?" Lizzie demanded the answer out of Fitz who at least had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "Wh-wha-why would you do that?" Lizzie asked.

"Lizzie B.."

"Fitz."

"It's just.. not time yet."

Lizzie stared at Fitz and the at the building and tried to process that piece of information. If she had looked again at Fitz she might have seen the slight sigh of relief as he thought he had gotten away with something. Her next words though sent the tension right back.

"He's been avoiding me?" Lizzie asked.

"Oh god, no, Liz-"

"He's been avoiding me hasn't he? Wow-" She didn't know what to say. "Wow, okay, I seriously thought we'd moved past that." And she couldn't believe that she had actually seriously considered that she might have had feelings for a man that clearly didn't have them for her still.

"Liz-"

But she had started to walk back to the building, anger rising inside of her as she walked through the glass atrium.

"Lizzie B!"

"I'm fine Fitz, he may not be when I'm done." She called back over her shoulder and walked straight to the elevator. She may not have had the tour since last time she was there, but the CEO's office would have been easy to find.

Behind her, Fitz stayed back and pulled out his phone, tapping a few buttons as the elevator doors opened for Lizzie. She stalked inside, glad it was just her and pressed the button for the executive floor, scanning her card to give her access. She couldn't believe she had thought that things would be different. She wanted five minutes to say thank you, and he was avoiding her. Well she would take those bloody five minutes and tell him thanks and be guilt free to avoid him as well.

The elevator doors opened and she turned left to head towards the office she had visited only twice. The secretary out the front looked up at her with surprise but nodded when Lizzie asked if he was in. She knocked on the door twice, not waiting for a response as she walked in.

"You've been avoiding me?" Lizzie asked incredulously, ignoring that he wasn't alone.

"Lizzie!" Gigi looked between Lizzie and her brother, her mouth opening and shutting in panic.

Darcy however, looked up at her with some surprise. Almost believable if he hadn't been there the entire week. He stared at her like she was some sort of mirage before he managed to speak.

"Lizzie?"


	4. Chapter 4

Lizzie looked at the red light like it was going to explode. Even the camera lens looked like it was judging her. An entire machine set to judge her upon thousands of viewers who would probably judge her. She felt horrible. Again. The feeling in her stomach not sitting well against the rest of her internal organs and she had already googled whether it was possible to live without a stomach as it was easy a sacrifice she would make to get rid of the feeling then.

It wasn't possible to live without a stomach.

Taking a deep breath, and then another, she composed herself and then looked at the camera. "I'm not really sure how to begin this one." Lizzie said honestly. "Because I-"

Before she could continue, her office door flew open without a knock and Gigi Darcy was standing on the other side of it glaring at her and she was breathless. "Did you run here?" Lizzie asked automatically as Gigi came over to collapse next to her on the bench in front of the camera, not taking here eyes off Lizzie. Unusual since Gigi had become quite the personality on camera.

"What the hell was that?" Gigi's voice becoming more high pitched towards the end of the sentence.

Lizzie opened her mouth several times to try to formulate a response. "Well.." She eyed the judging lens and narrowed her eyes at it before turning towards the camera fully. "My name is Lizzie Bennet and-" She glanced at Gigi who was still looking at her. "I think I may have made a mistake."

"You think?!"

**Two hours earlier**

Lizzie almost growled at the confused look that Darcy was giving her over the desk. As if he didn't know that she was going to be there. He was the CEO, he was aware as he put last time that she was shadowing his company. Staring at him, she took another deep breath, cursing that she had missed him when he was obviously trying to avoid her at all costs. Why else put that he was in L.A. all week when he had been showing up every day to his company?

"I wasn't aware you had arrived at Pemberley." Darcy seemed stunned, a little hesitant and a great liar.

"You weren't aware?" Lizzie asked, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Lizzie!" Gigi interrupted again.

"I thought you were coming to lunch with Fitz and I?" Lizzie inquired before Gigi could say anything more.

"You knew she was here?" The deeper voice interrupted the conversation.

"And you didn't?" The sarcasm still in her tone when she was addressing Darcy.

Gigi was still looking like she was watching tennis played by fish, but she stood up from the chair her hand clutching to her phone as if it was a lifeline.

"I-I.. knew that Lizzie was here, because I-" Gigi trailed off, caught between Lizzie and her brother.

"Were my tour guide and showed me my office?" Lizzie provided helpfully.

"Yes! I did." Gigi was a little over enthusiastic in her tale.

"Your office has been empty." Darcy spoke quietly, seemingly confused by the exchange between Gigi and Lizzie.

"My office-" Lizzie began, "Has been occupied all week. If you bothered-"

"Lunch!" Gigi interrupted. "We need to have lunch, let's go have lunch Lizzie, I'm sure my brother has other things that he has to get done, we can all catch up later."

"I can assure you, I have walked past the office you were assigned and you were not in."

"Then you must have walked past in the few minutes a day I wasn't in that office, miraculously avoiding having to see me. What an amazing coincidence." Lizzie returned back to Darcy.

"Reallllyyy starving over here. Could fade away at any moment." Gigi tried yet again to interrupt.

"There was nothing in the office to indicate that you had arrived." Darcy explained. "If there was-"

"My camera, my bag, the coincidental set up of what could be a tripod and chairs in front for a video blog?"

"I can smell the lunch right night, mouth watering don't you think Lizzie, we should go." Gigi reached out to tug on her arm.

"There was no such set up in your office Lizzie, I can assure you." Darcy ignored his sister.

"Then you must have not been walking past my office. But such a handy thing to say when using avoidance tactics."

"And what tactics would those be?"

"Well, let's see, stating you were in L.A. when you most clearly are not." Lizzie began before Gigi interrupted yet again.

"Life force fading." The over dramatic words by the younger Darcy accompanied by the tugging of Lizzie's arm. "Need sustenance. May not survive until this afternoon."

"Gigi." Darcy spoke over the top of her ramblings.

The siblings eyed one another and to an outsider may seem like they were simply having a staring contest until Gigi spoke again, sighing loudly before she did. "Fine, I'm going."

She turned and grabbed her bag from next to the chair she had been sitting in. "But can I take Li-" Gigi began to ask. .

"No."

The simple answer from Darcy surprising Lizzie and aggravating her further. He couldn't dictate where she went, he was the CEO of the company she was shadowing not the company she chose to keep. Lizzie stayed silent as Gigi slowly left the office although she could have sworn that she heard Gigi's Oh my god echoing loudly as she talked into her phone.

"Lizzie," Darcy spoke slowly, standing up from behind his desk, "It's good to see you again."

The unconscious buttoning of his jacket very much like the Darcy she remembered from months ago, not the one that she had been imagining in her head as being changed and somebody she could actually talk to. Apparently nothing in the past few months meant anything and she must have imagined Pemberley the last time she had been there.

"That would be a bigger complement if I hadn't already been here all week and you ignored me in the corridors."

Darcy looked suitably confused, but Lizzie wasn't done. "You know, it doesn't matter, obviously things haven't changed. I just wanted five minutes with you so I could talk."

"I see." The coat was unbuttoned and he sat back behind his desk.

All typical Darcy, Lizzie thought. And he wasn't even man enough to admit that he was avoiding her. Maybe he had only done what he had done so he could be rid of the Bennet family, well that was fine, once her conscience was cleared, he wouldn't have to even pretend that he had been near her office.

"Thank you for what you did for my family." Lizzie spoke, her voice wasn't the kindest it had been around Darcy but she wasn't yelling. "It meant a lot and we wouldn't be in the position we were in if you hadn't provided the means, so that meant a lot."

"Lizzie, I-"

"And I am sorry for any inconvenience that we may have, and obviously did cause, I will find a way to pay you back."

"Lizzie, I don't-"

"It may not be at once, but I don't wish to be in your debt and you obviously don't want this to continue much further, so I will work out a way to do it."

Darcy's face hardened a little at what she was saying, his eyes flashing with something she hadn't seen before.

"Is that what you think Lizzie?"

"What else am I meant to think? I've been here since Monday, I've seen who I thought was you in the corridor but was assured was most definitely not as you were in L.A."

He interrupted her flow of thoughts. "May I ask who stated I was in L.A.?"

"You did." Lizzie answered immediately.

"Whilst avoiding you?" The question was asked calmly but the face hardened and sent a little shiver of fear down Lizzie's spine.

"Your twitter made it clear." The excuse sounded thin to her.

"Twitter? I haven't used twitter in a fortnight, I find it hard to stay updated that way and tone is quite difficult to achieve in one hundred and forty characters." Darcy was oddly calm, but Lizzie wasn't about to be duped.

Pulling her phone out, she scrolled through twitter, searching for the tweet. There was nothing. Pressing her fingers to the screen, she located his twitter profile, bringing it up so she was able to show him. Except, the tweet had disappeared. It no longer said he was to be in L.A. all week.

"You deleted the tweet!" Lizzie looked up incredulous that he would stoop so low.

"Lizzie Bennet, I am glad that your family is now in a better position, and I am sorry if I have caused you pain or upset in the meantime, but I am a busy CEO of a large company that does not allow me an extended period of time to play games via twitter." Darcy's tone was dangerous and Lizzie couldn't pinpoint why, but she was almost afraid to reply.

"I was not aware that you were in fact at Pemberley, as my schedule of visitors to the company states that you were to be arriving this coming Monday." Darcy continued.

"I have an email stating that I was to start this Monday."

"That email obviously never made it to me." He answered, "However, I can see that I have made no further impression on you than to assume the worst of me. I would suggest that you inquire with my sister and friend Fitz as to some of this situation as they seem be uncannily aware of both of our whereabouts."

Lizzie opened her mouth to speak. "I am-" Darcy interrupted. "Disappointed that you are unable to think better of me than to jump to conclusions, I had hoped that-"

He shook his head at that and Lizzie felt like the worst human being, no scratch that, she just felt the worst. The only consolation was that at least there wasn't a camera rolling. "Darcy," Lizzie began slowly.

"No, you have made it quite clear Lizzie, " Darcy was speaking softer now, and that seemed to make the worst feeling, worse. "When you worked out I was here, your first impression was that I was avoiding you and wrong. I hope you enjoy your stay at Pemberley once more, if I can be of assistance to your educational needs, I will do my best."

Lizzie knew that she was being dismissed from his office, but she felt compelled to stay for just a little bit longer. "Darcy, I-"

"It's fine Lizzie," He turned back to his computer. "I believe that you have a lunch date with my sister, if she is to be believed than she will have fainted somewhere outside my office due to lack of food intake. I would be glad if you could check on her."

It was like being hit with a sledgehammer, the heavy feeling in her stomach that made her want to be ill. But she nodded and quietly opened the door to her office and left. Outside, she saw Gigi sitting in one of the chairs, still furiously texting somebody until she noticed that Lizzie was free.

"Oh my god, you took your time." She bounded up to bounce next to her. "So, tell me everything actually no, Fitz would be mad if I found out first, tell me at lunch."

Lizzie opened her mouth to say something, but she felt.. overwhelmed by what had just happened that she didn't know what she could say. "I- I can't." Lizzie finally spoke. "Not today, I have to and should work, but another day."

Turning before Gigi could say anything, she began the trip to her own office where she could hide out and under a desk until the feeling in her stomach went away. Turning back a little, she saw Gigi heading to her brother's door and knew it was only a matter of time before Gigi would come looking for her. And for blood probably.

Safely negotiating the halls without being asked to talk or to step in on a meeting, she opened the door to the amazing office and collapsed against it. She was in trouble now.


	5. Chapter 5

Two missed calls from Charotte, one from Jane. There was a text message from Lydia but when it had shown up on her screen it had said something about how if she left the office at that moment there were free shots at Carter's Bar before ten so she assumed that Lydia wasn't still watching her videos. All of them went ignored as Lizzie painstakingly went through the statistics for Pemberley Digital.

She had made it to Thursday and after the horrific day she had had before, she had made the decision overnight to get on with her work and ignore drama. Her independent study was looking much healthier for it as she was on to her fourth page about the development of Pemberley, it's switch to the digital market and the influence it made on mass media.

Typing some more statistics in, Lizzie had to blink a few times to clear her vision before she could concentrate. The problem wasn't that the work was hard, it was interesting information and she was genuinely curious about the way that Pemberley worked, it was by far the most amazing company that she had heard of. Somehow the perks of the job meat that the productivity was sky high.

The problem was that it only made her appreciate Darcy more, and in turn that made her feel even worse with how she had behaved the day before. Not only was he the guy that she had humiliated on an international video hosting website, she had yelled at the CEO of the company she was shadowing and the older brother of Gigi that she really liked to hang out with, the best friend of Fitz and was in fact the man that confused her.

Pemberley Digital was overwhelming. In a multitude of ways.

Her phone started to ring again, and she glanced at the caller ID. Charlotte again. And again Lizzie let it ring out to voice mail. She didn't even know what she would say right then.

A ping of an email on her desktop distracted her from her internal lament as she clicked the application open to see who it was from. Charlotte.

If you don't answer on the next ring, I will drive there.

There wasn't any smile or greeting, let alone something to indicate that she was joking. Lizzie had been best friends with Charlotte since they were kids, she could read tone without having to hear it, and Charlotte had managed in very few words to be somewhat terrifying.

The phone started to ring again and Lizzie reached for it without looking, sliding the answer button, she sat back and waited.

"Yes?" The familiar voice of Charlotte at the other end of the phone making her smile despite the mood she was in.

"Lizzie Bennet." Lizzie amended.

"Well, what a surprise you do have your phone on you after all? Did you get my email?"

"It may have crossed my desktop at some point." Lizzie reached for a pencil to give her something to play with to diffuse tension.

"Mmhmm.." The disbelieving tone making her miss Charlotte. "Did it may have cross your mind to ring me with what has been going on the past few days? You've been at Pemberley three days and already this much has gone down?"

"Well, I've been busy." Lizzie tried to defend herself, "And some of us don't have amazing jobs and require us to finish grad school. Did you know that Pemberley went digital in 1998, one of the first major film companies to do so?"

There was silence at the other end of the line as Charlotte started tapping something that Lizzie couldn't identify.

"Did you know you have nearly two thousand views an hour on your last video?"

Two thousand? Lizzie was still getting used to that much interest in her life, but two thousand?

"I blame Gigi-" Lizzie began.

"I blame what you said, to the entire internet. Does he still watch these videos?"

Charlotte didn't have to specify who he was, Lizzie was already fully aware.

"I..I don't know. I doubt it, he seems fairly busy with his job."

"So he wouldn't watch what you said?" Charlotte asked innocently.

"Not unless he was told to." Lizzie warned.

"If he was told to listen to this.." Charlotte trailed off and Lizzie wondered what was going on until she heard the almost tinny sounding version of her video. Charlotte must have been holding up the phone to her computer just in case Lizzie hadn't heard it before, during editing or live when it had been said.

"I was trying to help!" Gigi defended herself, her voice high pitched when she started to panic.

"By pretending that we weren't in the same part of the country? How was that meant to help?"

"Well, you, he, you were supposed to maybe think you saw one another, get driven crazy and realise how much you missed each other! It was a great plan except you saw his car!" Gigi answered.

"I had been home for weeks since I last saw him, surely I'd know by now if I'd missed him!" Lizzie wasn't even looking at the camera, too focused on the semi-argument she was having with Gigi.

"Well you didn't act like it!"

"You didn't give me a chance, you lied from the first moment I got back to Pemberley!"

"Because you didn't call, or email, or do anything when you were at home. It was like good riddance!" Gigi retorted.

"I never said that!"

"So did you?"

"Did I what?" Lizzie asked, starting to get a little confused by what Gigi was talking about.

"Did you miss him?"

"What's that got to do with what you did?"

"Nothing!" Gigi answered honestly, "But it's the whole point."

"What's the whole point? You're not making any sense."

"The whole point is that you're supposed to miss him, did you?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Lizzie was using hand gestures by now.

"Maybe?"

"Yes?"

"Yes?!" Gigi was a little too enthusiastic about that word.

"Yes!" Lizzie returned, flustered now.

"YES!" Gigi was triumphant and Lizzie turned towards the camera, quickly shutting it off.

She was silent as the outro music was heard through the ear piece and she waited for Charlotte to come back on the line. Without a word, she knew that she was getting a look through the phone.

"Okay so maybe I should have cut that bit out, but Gigi made me promise to keep it in. Something about being fair." Lizzie was a little timid when responding.

"Oh, we aren't even going to go there yet." Charlotte was smug, cats and cream came to mind when trying to describe Charlotte's tone through the telephone. "You missed him?"

"I-" Lizzie paused after the sentence, "Didn't say that."

"Oh-h-h yes you did." Charlotte couldn't hide the glee from the words.

"I was-caught- in what Gigi was trying to push and she's very hard to get away from. Plus she's like part share holder or something in Pemberley so I can't kick her out of my office. Which by the way, I have no idea about still-"

"We're not talking about Gigi or your office, which by the way does look amazing," Charlotte interrupted, "We're talking about that you admitted to your entire viewership that you missed the man that you single handedly mocked for repeated months on end, called a robot that had no feelings and told him that he was the last person on earth that you would ever fall in love with."

"I never said I was in love with him!" Lizzie was indignant about that.

"Never said you were, just that that was what you said. Although missing somebody does imply-"

"I didn't say that." She defended.

"Lizzie, he likes you, in fact, he went on camera and said he liked you. And went on camera after you rejected him, more than one time I will remind you." Charlotte was being irritatingly logical.

"I know."

"Well, you have to kind of hand it to the guy, he has courage to do that, it maybe wouldn't kill you, to admit even to yourself that perhaps something may be mutual."

Lizzie didn't want to admit it to anybody as the feeling was beyond scary and something that her stomach that had only just started accepting food again, wouldn't be able to handle.

"Lizzie?" Charlotte asked when she had been silent.

"I don't know."

"You don't know, or do know and don't want to talk about it?"

"Both. Plus, I think I've really screwed things up this time."

Charlotte was silent as she contemplated.

"Well, isn't it part of your charm Lizzie Bennet to be able to unscrew things?" Charlotte asked.

"Not this time."

"If you say so, but-" Charlotte trailed off.

"But what?"

"I don't know, you've done a lot worse."

"And this is just the cherry on top of the cake to prove how terrible of a human being I am."

"You are not terrible." Charlotte reassured her. "Just, a little judgemental sometimes and quick tempered, which are not always flaws, just, mistimed a little."

"Your faith in me is astounding." Lizzie answered dryly.

"You're my friend and he'd be lucky to have you, when you decide to stop being stubborn."

"Charlotte!" Lizzie was incredulous.

She was laughing on the other end of the line. "Okay, listen I have to go to a meeting, but think about what I said, and more importantly what you said, and what your viewers are saying. It may give you something to go on."

"Yeah, okay."

"Is that yeah okay I'll listen to Charlotte, or yeah okay you have to go and I have to go back to avoiding people behind my desk slash under it?"

"I have never been under my desk!" Lizzie retorted automatically.

"Wow you really are easy to taunt into things."

Lizzie's face contorted into something of annoyance but mostly amused.

"Goodbye Charlotte."

"Bye Lizzie, do keep me informed,"

Lizzie hung up before responding again, thinking it best not to dwell on things too much. An email pinged and she clicked on Charlotte's name to bring up the latest comment.

Spoilsport.

Feeling at least a little more human being like than she had in days, she returned back to her inbox. Eyeing one name in particular, she danced her fingers over the keyboard, not sure whether to go through with it. Taking a breath, she double clicked on the name and brought up the phone number. Reaching for the internal phone, she punched the numbers in and waited.

"Ms Reynolds?" Lizzie answered, "Hi, this is Lizzie Bennet, the grad student shadowing Pemberley Digital?"

Pausing for the reply, she nodded. "Yes, yes that's the one. I think there was a mix up with dates of my arrival so I may not have been listed as arrived yet, I-" She paused and then rushed forward. "I was wondering if I could book an appointment to see Mr Darcy? I was hoping to get his perspective on the company for my project."


	6. Chapter 6

Her hair had only been adjusted because it had looked terrible from when she had put it up that morning. Being flustered and caring about what her hair looked like were not conducive to success. The lipgloss was because she had eaten lunch, and if you're updating one part of your make up, it made sense to update the other important parts. None of it, whatsoever, had anything to do with her meeting with Darcy that afternoon.

Ms Reynolds had assured her that it was hard to get appointments at short notice, but an opening had arisen and it was either then or next week. Lizzie hadn't expected to see him so soon, but she didn't want the sickening, disgusting feeling to last for more days and more videos, so that afternoon it would be.

Right then, it would be. Running a hand over her hair once more, she breathed out as she stepped off the elevator at the executive floor. It seemed so much bigger than the last time she had been there, but then again, the last time she had been there she had been seeing red and was about to tell off the CEO for non-intentionally avoiding her. But it was no big deal right? It was just her entire grad school final project.

She followed the corridor around, taking in the view of San Francisco, still utterly surprised that such a building and a company that she had judged many months ago could be this beautiful. And yet even the way the windows were facing seemed to get a better view than panoramas of the city. Checking that she had her portfolio, she had a few questions saved up just in case, but ultimately she wanted to apologise.

And clear her conscience and admit that she was wrong. All of which seemed utterly humiliating when she was standing on the outside of the office, but that feeling seemed to be better than the horrible sinking feeling that she had had all day.

She paused in front of a large oak desk, trust Darcy's employees down to the secretaries to have a desk better than most companies CEO's. The woman was efficient, well groomed and not at all stereotypical of the secretary's in every movie ever made.

"Uh, Elizabeth Bennet to see Mr Darcy." She had practised that in her head until it had felt right.

"Miss.. Lizzie Bennet?" The woman that she assumed was Ms Reynolds asked.

"Yes, that would be me. I rang earlier." Lizzie pointed out redundantly.

"Yes, I answered the phone, please take a seat Miss Bennet, you're a touch early and I'll check to see if Mr Darcy is ready." Ms Reynolds told her with a professional smile.

Turning to see chairs similar to the ones in the lobby, she went and sat in the one indicated to her by the woman and tried to relax. Except she couldn't relax. Because she was about to see Darcy. A man that when she had first met him made her feel nauseated for an entirely different reason. Never in a milion years did she expect that she would voluntarily ring up and ask to see William Darcy.

And wait until he was ready to see her. The novelty and irony was not lost on her in that moment, but it was merely pushed down and hidden, camouflaged by the sickening sensation of nerves. Did he know she was his three o'clock? Or was she to surprise him again?

"Miss Bennet?" The woman's voice breaking through her concentration, she was covering the speaking part of a telephone as she spoke to her.

"He's ready for you, if you'd like to go through."

Taking a deep breath, she stood from the chair and made sure she was presentable, wishing she had thought to go through her portfolio to at least make it look like she was there on professional reasons.

"Thank you. For fitting me in." Lizzie stuttered out as she headed for the double doors that led to the now all too familiar office. Knocking once, she received the clear to enter and opened the door into the room.

Taking the step in, she saw Darcy sitting there. This time missing his coat, his hair looking like it had been messed by his fingers and then reordered again, and he fixed her with a stare. Coming further into the room, she didn't want to say anything until the door was fully closed behind her. Settling her nerves, she breathed out slowly and raised her head to look at Darcy.

It was only then that she realised that they weren't alone. Two older gentleman sat in chairs opposite the one she assumed was for her and she tried to hide her surprise at them being there.

"Miss Bennet," Darcy spoke first, "Please, do take a seat."

Unsure of what was happening and whether this was a good or a bad omen, she blindly walked forward to sit on the chair set aside for her, smiling at the other two men in the room.

"Since you are here shadowing Pemberley Digital and requested a meeting regarding the company, I thought it would be a good opportunity for you to meet some of the other senior executives." Darcy continued and Lizzie swore when she looked at his face that there was a touch of amusement in it. As though he knew what she had come to talk about and was trying to one up her.

"Mr Erwin from marketing." Darcy introduced and Lizzie took the hand of the man on the right to shake it. "And Mr Camerons, he is head of projects. I thought that they may be able to give you some insight into Pemberley from before my time and also some detailed knowledge that I may not be aware of."

Lizzie had not been prepared for this.

"It's nice to meet you both." An educational goldmine but not what she had hoped to achieve in that afternoon. And not what questions she had prepared for them. Turning to Darcy, she tried to smile at him genuinely, but it felt a little forced. "Thank you for this opportunity, it's more than what I expected." She nodded a few times as if to enforce her point.

"Not at all Miss Bennet, I only hope that we may give you some illuminating material to work with."

The word, that word, and she looked at him to see if he had realised that he had said it. But his face was blank, looking at her expectantly. "I'm sure that I will learn a lot."

Reaching down into her bag, she pulled out a pen and paper, determined that she would get something out of this, if only to spite him a little. And it really was a great educational tool that she hadn't been offered at Collins and Collins. But the head of that company hadn't been William Darcy.

"We've heard you're a mass communications major?"

The man identified as Mr Erwin spoke, seemingly interested in her background.

"Yes," Lizzie answered, "It's an interesting area of study, I'm completing my final semester, which is what this project is a part of."

"And you are finding the shadowing of companies interesting?" Mr Erwin asked.

"It has certainly opened my eyes into the communication world. And how communication can be interpreted." Lizzie chanced a glance at Darcy at the last comment who was looking at her with interest.

"Interpreted?" Darcy spoke, "By the audience or by the person putting forward the information so that it may be clearly understood?"

Lizzie turned in her chair to look at him. "Both." She answered simply, "I believe that there needs to be clarification from both the audience at what they're looking at or reading, and by the person communicating. If there is a breakdown between them, things may be misunderstood." She didn't take her eyes off of him the entire time..

He didn't show anything in his face to suggest that he understood what she was talking about.

"Well said." Camerons interrupted. "So Miss Bennet."

"Lizzie's fine." She interrupted, finding the Miss Bennet too reminiscent of days gone by.

"Lizzie," Camerons corrected himself, "You requested a meeting to find out more information, how can we be of help?"

She looked sideways at Darcy again before taking a breath. She would use this opportunity and curse Darcy later for putting her in the situation in the first place. He should have warned her. Like she had warned him all along, her mind thought sarcastically.

"Yes, I've looked at some statistics, but I wanted some clarification or some, direct answers, I suppose. When Pemberley made the decision to go digital, were there negative ramifications at all? Favour lost with other companies or projects?"

The two older men leaned back in their chairs but Darcy didn't take his eyes off of Lizzie, as if testing her to see what she would do with the opportunity. Unfortunately for his amusement she loved Pemberley Digital and had actually done her homework that morning.

"I suppose there may have been, the company has obviously exceeded anybody's expectations." Camerons offered the answer. "I believe we lost a few accounts, a project here and there as people weren't as used to the new technology or were believing it wasn't the way of the future. But, we survived to live the tale."

"Right," Lizzie wrote down a few of the words he spoke. "So after the shift there would have been an adjustment period, perhaps with the surprise of the new systems the hesitant parties would need time to absorb the changes and change opinion." Another look at Darcy, though the older gentlemen didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, I suppose there was that, some projects never recovered. However, some that adjusted as you say, came back and we supported them." Camerons answered again.

"When these projects came back," Lizzie asked, "To Pemberley," She added quickly. "Did you find that whilst they were receptive to the changes and may have found them intriguing, they required to be around the new equipment and see the results for themselves to truly see what they could do?"

Erwin looked a little puzzled at the question but she was thankful that they were taking the questions seriously.

"Well, yes again, but there weren't as many projects like as you may think, they were mostly smaller ones that eventually fizzled out, most were excited by the new technology that Pemberley Digital was providing." Erwin explained.

"I can see why." Lizzie answered genuinely to both Erwin and Camerons.

"I believe what was particularly intriguing at the time was that when my father made the announcement, he hadn't realised that particular projects he had been excited to bring across to the digital platform were very much against digital filming. There had been no prior talking of such things to Pemberley that he was disappointed that those projects left without looking at what the results could be." Darcy, his eyes still trained on Lizzie, contributed to the conversation.

"Maybe if the projects in particular had no inkling that the announcement was to come, they wouldn't know to consider the idea seriously." Lizzie was polite, but pointed.

"I believe there were rumours at the time to that effect, and spoken about with the project managers. They may have chosen to not believe that it was so."

"Well the idea and technology were new at the time of the announcement that it would seem potentially impossible that such a huge turn around from what was typically known as Pemberley would occur."

"Nevertheless they swore that they would not entertain the idea," Darcy continued, catching on very quickly to Lizzie's hidden meanings.

"And yet the projects that did not fizzle out and returned to Pemberley may have been more willing to entertain the idea."

"At Pemberley we like to encourage more than just willing. Perhaps, my father was hoping for a more, enthusiastic, reaction." Darcy flipped a pen over in his hand.

"An interesting point Mr Darcy, and how would one in that position when surprised at the unexpected, go about showing an enthusiastic reaction?" Lizzie inquired.

"I believe accurate communication would be an ideal place to begin." Darcy gave no hint that he was talking far more personally than to a student inquiring about his company, and that alone would have infuriated her if they weren't in company.

"Of course," Lizzie answered with equal politeness, "However we then return to the circular argument about the balance between audience and communicator."

"Again Lizzie, well said." Erwin interrupted the banter between them. "What else have you got for us?"

Lizzie had been distracted by the semi-argument that had been festering between her and Darcy that she had forgotten any questions she would be able to ask in the meantime. "What are the projected outcomes for this year?" Lizzie asked.

"Well as usual, we like to take on new projects and encourage creativity, I believe we will be expanding into online media. Web-content is becoming more popular and more extensive, we believe that Pemberley Digital may have a place there." Camerons explained.

"Miss Bennet may be able to assist in providing some insight into that project team Mr Camerons, I believe she is quite familiar with web-content." Darcy suggested coolly and Lizzie shot him a look.

"I'd be happy to help out wherever I can. I have certainly learnt some valuable lessons with web-content that I would be happy to share." Lizzie replied.

"Excellent!" Erwin was enthusiastic. "We would love to have somebody with some insight to pitch in, we have a meeting tomorrow, I'm sure I can send somebody to your office?"

Lizzie returned her attention to the thankfully somewhat ignorant executives.

"That would be great, I'd be happy to contribute however I can."

"What office shall we be looking for?" Camerons asked as he pulled out a pen and small note pad.

"Three twenty-seven"

"Two-one-two."

The two office numbers were spoken at the same time as Darcy and Lizzie looked at each other in surprise.

"I believe you must be mistaken Miss Bennet, the office you were assigned was three twenty-seven." Darcy spoke.

"I can assure you Mr Darcy, Pemberley Digital is quite gigantic that to prevent myself from needing a ball of twine to find my way back, numbers are my only hint. Two-one-two has been imprinted on my brain." Lizzie replied, not liking the way he was looking at her.

"Are you certain?"

"Oh quite." She had collapsed against that door more than once.

"I must not have been aware of an office change, office twelve on level two typically is occupied by somebody else."

"Oh?" Lizzie asked, "I haven't seen anybody, if it's the wrong office.."

"Gigi," Darcy informed her with a look, "That office normally belongs to Gigi."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N I forgot to mention in my last chapter that I was going away for like six days so I could move. And have only just got my internet back on. So I thought I'd be nicer.**

 

 

Lizzie returned to her office, _Gigi_ 's office and slowly closed the door behind her. One hour and twelve minutes of veiled conversation. She was exhausted, not only having to come up with appropriate questions for the two oblivious males in the room about what she was actually there for, but find some way of communicating to Darcy that she was kind of sorry but wasn't so sure if he knew what he was doing to be actually sorry. Her brain hurt with confusion, something that Lizzie was finding more and more with her return to Pemberley.

 

Not only did she have to try and complete her independent study, her thesis and well, everything else for her grad school, she also had to try and outwit Gigi, Fitz and somehow deal with Darcy. However, whatever, that seemed to be.

 

Was Thursday even over yet? Was it time for her to sleep through the weekend and avoid whatever _plan_ Gigi manged to concoct. Not that she didn't give the girl some credit for coming up with some, _creative,_ ways of forcing her and her brother to interact, but it was just another thing that she had to add on top of everything else.

 

Groaning, she felt her self-pity down through her legs as she trudged over to the desk and collapsed down onto it. Picking up her phone she had two messages, one from Charlotte and the other from Jane, both asking how the rest of her day was going and to check out the comment section as there were some _hilarious_ from Charlotte and _caring_ from Jane, comments from her viewers.

 

Waving a hand at her computer screen, she didn't want to open youtube, she didn't want to see comments or viewers or protests that she should have kissed him. Kissing Darcy was not on her agenda, her agenda was to get through Pemberley Digital.

 

Turning to the computer, she pulled up the internal email system and started to check through anything that had been for her. Confirmation of the meeting she had just attended, funny, nobody else had been carbon copied in, statistics meeting on Monday if she was interested, she was and clicked yes to attending and she was about to open something about the annual company something when the door to her, _Gigi_ 's office suddenly opened.

 

“Hey!” Gigi burst through, remembering slash taking advantage of the fact that Lizzie had once told her to not knock, and sat down on the chair opposite the desk. “I didn't realise you were back!”

 

She seemed far too cheery for somebody who had told her off not too long ago.

 

“In _my_ office?” Lizzie asked calmly

 

“Yeah,” Gigi answered without thinking about Lizzie's tone ,”I mean, you were gone for like an hour, where were you?”

 

“Meeting.”

 

“Meeting? With who? There aren't any board meetings on the agenda, oh god, were there? Was I supposed to go to something, graphic designers never really go to those meetings, but you know, with my family and all.”

 

“It wasn't a board meeting.” Lizzie interrupted, mostly because she was starting to tell when Gigi was about to start her ranting about something or other that usually resulted in being asked an awkward question.

 

“Oh?” Gigi didn't seem unperturbed by the interruption in the slightest.

 

“I was gathering information for my independent study from some of the senior executives so that I would be able to gauge the company's progress better.”

 

It was the truth, completely and utterly, unfortunately.

 

“Oh.” Gigi's shoulders dropped with the rather boring news. “But hey, that's not what I wanted you for.”

 

“Oh.” Lizzie repeated Gigi's word, dreading what was coming next.

 

“No, since you're back here with the company, I thought we should go out for dinner.”

 

“Did you?” Lizzie asked.

 

“Yes, there are some amazing restaurants that you haven't eaten at yet, all of which have the best food.”

 

“Thanks but-”

 

“Oh, do you love seafood? I mean of course you love seafood, who doesn't, but seriously, you _have_ to try this restaurant.”

 

“Gigi, I don't know, I'm kind of-”

 

“Or if you don't want seafood, there is an italian place that is kind of kept secret from the tourists that is amazin-”

 

“Gigi!” Lizzie interrupted again, exasperated by the conversation. “I'm sorry, I can't tonight, I am beat, I am so exhausted that I will be lucky to make it home.”

 

“We can order in!” Gigi ignored half of the points made.

 

“No!” Lizzie rubbed her head, “I just, I just kind of want go home and sleep and do nothing. I won't be good company tonight, it has been an _incredibly_ long and exhausting day and I will go out to dinner with you another time, but right now, I need to get more work done.”

 

“Well-” Gigi considered this approach, “What if I was to get you some stuff so you could get your work done faster, then maybe you could consider coming out, wait don't say anything, I will come and check up on you in a bit and you can decide then.”

 

She was already half out of the chair and heading for the door before Lizzie could respond.

 

“Gigi, why am I in your office?” She asked quietly.

 

“Uh-” Gigi stopped and turned back, the battle whether to continue lying about it, or whether she should come clean clear on her face. “We're in your office space right now Lizzie, wow you're right, you are tired.”

 

“Gigi, I know that this is your office normally, look at this place, it's beautiful, look at the view, they don't give this to a grad student who is only here to shadow. They throw those people in storage closets with a light and a half desk hoping that they'll still be alive at the end of the week.”

 

“Now, we would never do that here, and if they tried you should totally complain-”

 

“Gigi, _why am I in your office?”_

 

“Um-it's a surprise?”

 

She gave Gigi the same look she gave Lydia through their childhood when Lydia was trying to get away with something she couldn't.

 

“Fine- Because I, we, Fitz and I, thought that it would be a good idea to keep you hidden away, like a lovely surprise.”

 

Lizzie sighed, “Gigi, you need to stop this.”

 

“Stop what?”

 

“The matchmaking, the argument causing, the trying to control what is going to happen, because at the moment the only thing that is happening is that every time your brother and I are in the same room is that we argue, a lot.”

 

“Unresolved sexual tension, I can get you a room-”

 

“Gigi!”

 

“It was a joke.” The very Lydia like response surprising Lizzie, but she shook her head.

 

“I'm here, for my school, for my career, not to be a puppet in your games, your brother is the CEO of this company and I have already humiliated him enough on the internet, without help, he doesn't need or deserve _you_ to contribute to it.” Lizzie couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth, but there they were.

 

“But the two of you-”

 

“The two of us,” Lizzie took over, “Have never been on the same wavelength, and we shouldn't be forced together because others think that it would make a great story, if it's meant to be, than it's meant to be, but you _can't keep doing this._ Eventually this will all crumble around you, and take it from somebody who knows, you may think you're doing the right thing or it doesn't matter because it's not a huge deal, but trust me, it could, blow up completely.”

 

“Are you talking about-”

 

“In your face, and suddenly you have to pick up the pieces because you never saw it coming. And then bam it's there, and you have to deal with it. So, this, whatever else you're trying to pull, needs to stop. No more dinners where you suddenly feel sick and have to leave, or lunches where you got called away. No more office switching, or matchmaking, or locking of closets, please don't, _ever_ lock us in a closet.”

 

Gigi opened her mouth to try and say something but Lizzie was very much on a roll.

 

“No stairwells, corridors, offices, or I don't know, elevators where the power accidentally goes off because you cut it. Just- Let your brother be your brother and me be me and whatever else, I don't know, that's it, I. Don't know.” Lizzie concluded.

 

And Gigi looked like she was about to burst.

 

“But you two _suck_ at doing things on your own. You talked about how he was a terrible communicator for _months_ , he assumed you liked him, which you didn't, and the only interaction you had was awkward and terrible. Short of forcing you under mistimed misletoe so you have no choice due to tradition to just start making out, at least I'm giving you something to talk about. In common. Ways in which Gigi is annoying you both equally. You totally have my permission. “

 

“Your brother loves you and would never talk that way.”

 

“He would around you, you almost trump me.”

 

“Gigi..”

 

“Oh don't Gigi me, what were you going to do, what was your plan? Just show up here and hope that he may ask you again whether you love him, despite the fact that you rejected him, publically, in front of thousands. He's not like that,”

 

“I didn't-”

 

“No, you didn't, and he didn't, you both don't do anything, you have hundreds of thousands of people around the world that tell you, multiple times to just get with Darcy, because even through the computer screen it's obvious. It's obvious to us. It's obvious to every employee here. It's obvious to viewers. Because it's obvious, to everybody but the oblivious. You two. And the only way that you two will actively talk about something that isn't overly polite because he's giving you space and you don't want to insult him because of your job and your career and your study and because you utterly screwed up last year, is to argue with one another. You guys talk a lot when you argue.”

 

Lizzie had to admit she was kind of stunned by what Gigi was saying. She had obviously put a lot of work into this.

 

“Gigi, that's still-”

 

Her email pinged and she glanced at the computer, checking to see if it was her sister or if Charlotte was going to threaten her for the multiple time that day. Instead William Darcy had sent out a memo to all employees at Pemberley Digital. Curiosity kept her from her telling Gigi what she thought just then as she double clicked on the email and read.

 

_To all,_

 

_Please note the following:_

 

_\- Monday's board meeting will be moved from level 4 conference room B to level 3 conference room A to accommodate for a technical presentation._

_\- There is problem with certain access cards to the roof top area, security and IT is aware of the issue, and hope to resolve and update the issue as soon as possible._

_\- Please note the following office change, Georgiana Darcy will be now occupying office 327, all correspondence to be forwarded accordingly_

She read the rest of the greeting, William Darcy, CEO, but the last point had her mouth dropping open a little. Had, William Darcy, just one upped his sister? Speechless, she stared at the screen, re-reading the email twice more before Gigi's voice filtered back in.

 

“Hello?” Gigi waved, now closer to the desk.

 

Lizzie turned back, her mouth still agape.

 

“What is it?” Gigi asked, concern on her face.

 

“I-” Lizzie wasn't sure what it was. “I, think I might come to dinner after all.”


	8. Chapter 8

“No it was the brother in the third, mother in the second.”

 

“It wasn't the mother in the second, it was the boyfriend.”

 

“Boyfriend was first.”

 

“Why would the boyfriend want to kill her?”

 

“Why wouldn't she have moved town or countries after it was over?”

 

The argument had been like a tennis match between them, and much like what Gigi was renowned for, she hadn't backed down from the horror movie breakdown. Lizzie reached for her glass of wine, catching Brandon's eye as he smiled at her across the table and then resumed the back and forth motion between Fitz and Gigi.

 

The meal had been excellent, although she hadn't expected to see Brandon again, she was pleased by the addition to their group for the evening. She looked sideways at Darcy who was looking at his sister and best friend with what Lizzie had come to realise was veiled amusement. The disapproving topic obviously entertaining him, but Lizzie would guess that he probably didn't realise that Gigi watched horror movies that often to know as much as she did.

 

She wanted to talk to him. Alone. Wanted to apologise for her behaviour, and to confront him about the meeting she had been put through. He would always say it was for her educational purposes, but she wanted to hear if there was something else. If he was now, actually, avoiding her.

 

As it was, she hadn't had a chance to speak more than three words directed at Darcy before another person had chimed in to join whatever topic they were talking about. From movies, to Pemberley, to her family at home; everybody seemed to have an opinion or a question to ask.

 

“She had family back home!” Gigi answered as if it was an obvious conclusion to make in a horror film.

 

“Not completely, her family was mostly dead remember?”

 

If there was a shadow of sadness in Gigi's eyes, it was gone before Lizzie could register it, as the conversation attracted some stares from another table.

 

“I remember perfectly, I also remember you trying to cover my eyes when I was fifteen-” She stopped immediately and looked at Darcy like an ashamed child caught in the act.

 

“You watched these films when you were fifteen?” Darcy asked slowly, his calm demeanour hiding what probably he should have felt.

 

“I-once only a little bit, scenes really. The non violent scenes.” Gigi covered up and Fitz was too busy finding a morsel of food on his plate to shove in his mouth so she didn't have to speak up about it.

 

“I watched them when I was about fourteen.” Lizzie interrupted what may have gone somewhere else. “Scared the living day lights out of me, I had to sleep with the lights on for a few nights, but I wasn't as bad as Jane. She slept in my bed for a month.”

 

Darcy, however, didn't seem to take the hint that now was not the time to bring up the over-protective act that had previously so publicly uploaded to the internet.

 

“Was this the week when you insisted that the house keeper remain in the house when I worked late?” Darcy inquired, his voice unchanged.

 

“Well, yes, but, I was totally old enough to-”

 

“Be scared enough to not be home alone?”

 

“William.” Gigi sighed, “It was a long time ago.”

 

“Fitz.” Lizzie interrupted, “How is your department doing?”

 

“Oh no Lizzie B.” Fitz finally spoke up, “I'm not getting involved in anything that doesn't concern me.”

 

Lizzie's mouth dropped open as she stared at him. “Oh right, you would _never_ do anything of the sort. What about the office?”

 

“Which time?”

 

“Which time?”

 

Gigi and Fitz spoke simultaneously and then grinned at each other.

 

“Exactly, so-” She was about to ask her question again when Darcy finally spoke up.

 

“How are you enjoying your new office Gigi?”

 

Gigi had the grace to look at little embarrassed at being caught out in that lie, but she smiled at her brother in a look Lizzie recognised all too familiar with Lydia. One that had probably gotten her out of trouble before.

 

“Oh you know, time for a change, and Lizzie needed something a little, _closer_ to the action.” Gigi tried to explain.

 

“And I'm glad that you offered your former office to be for all the new student interns that come to Pemberley.” Darcy replied smoothly as Gigi stared at him.

 

She had obviously not received the email yet, or hadn't checked her emails before coming to dinner.

 

“Wait, what?” Gigi asked, “I mean I'm happy for Lizzie-”

 

“Oh no, it's too much hassle, and you know what memos are like when they aren't sent properly, chaos descends.” Darcy was all business but as he dipped his head to adjust his already immaculate napkin on his lap, Lizzie could have sworn that she saw a slight smile on his face.

 

“Wait you're giving away my offi-”

 

“It's a lovely office.” Lizzie pointed out, siding with Darcy to the amusement of Fitz and the stare of William Darcy. “I'm sure it'll attract anybody in the industry who wanted a chance to stay at Pemberley Digital.”

 

“I-” Gigi's mouth dropped open as she struggled to come up with words. “I know, waii.” For the third time in a minute, Gigi had demanded that the table wait. “You want to stay at Pemberley Digital?” Gigi had picked up on something that Lizzie hadn't realised she had admitted.

 

“It's an amazing company.” Lizzie answered, “It's certainly in my field-”

 

“You want to stay at Pemberley!” Gigi announced excitedly.  


She suddenly felt overwhelmed by it all. For some reason admitting that she wanted to stay and work full time for a company that she adored wasn't the only thing she would be admitting if she answered Gigi's enthusiasm.

 

Shooting Gigi a look, Lizzie was at a loss as to what to say. “Boyfriend's friend.” She finally got out.

 

“What?”

 

“It was the boyfriend's friend as well in the first movie.” Lizzie reminded Gigi and heard Fitz's _Ha, told you_ behind her as she stood up. “I'm just going to take a photo of the view.” She indicated the balcony that overlooked water. “Make viewers jealous.”

 

The excuse sounded weak but if either Fitz or Gigi noticed, they didn't make it clear as round fourteen of horror movie tennis began in her wake. She could, however, feel the eyes of Darcy on her as she headed for the glass door onto the balcony. Stepping out into the breeze, she needed to get a grip.

 

It was a stupid question with an easy answer, and yet it had rattled her. Most serious conversations she had had over the past year could be edited with film that any stupid answers or looks she had made would be lost to the trash can on her desktop. If she could edit out the past week, she would have probably edited out the part where she had yelled at Darcy. In his office. Without any reason to.

 

And made herself sound more prepared at the meeting where she had come to apologise for yelling at Darcy, in his office, without any reason to. Lizzie had known a little that coming back to Pemberley would mean having to face all of this, but her pep talks that all of this was going to be about grad school, were, kind of moot at that point.

 

Groaning, she rested her hand on the wooden hand rail and lent back trying to get some sort of clarity.

 

“Would you like me to take the photo?” A deep voice behind her echoed and Lizzie straightened and turned to see Darcy standing there.

 

“Um-” Lizzie was about as clear as she had been in the restaurant.

 

“So you can be in it.” He explained.

 

“Oh, no, no it's okay. I don't think my camera will pick much up with this light.” She held her and out to show the dim lighting over the water.

 

“No, I suppose not.”

 

There was an awkward silence between them as Lizzie wondered what to do with her hands.

 

“It would probably also be a problem without your phone.” Darcy continued and Lizzie realised she had left her coat inside, with her phone in the pocket of it.

 

“I've found that also can be a problem.” Lizzie conceded.

 

Looking down at the wooden boards beneath her feet, she took a breath before facing what she had to do. She had been looking for some time alone, and she wasn't going to chicken out of it.

 

“I'm sorry.” Lizzie began, “For barging in on your office the other day, and assuming the worst. I, probably should have guessed that there may have been other, _influences_ behind not seeing you, and I didn't, and for that, I apologise.”

 

Darcy was silent for a moment and she almost regretted saying anything.

 

“It's fine.”

 

Nodding, she wasn't sure what else she could really say about it, and the sinking feeling in her stomach was that she had made matters worse than they had been.

 

“I-um.. I got your email, I like how you do things Mr Darcy.” Lizzie tried again.

 

“Yes, well, people should be informed if there are office changes, if there was an emergency, I would like to know which part of the building Gigi would be in.”

 

The robotic response used to annoy Lizzie, now she had come to realise it was his way of being polite, covering nerves maybe, although she had more reason to be nervous.

 

Taking a step towards him, she had to look up to take him at his full height. “Yes, of course, and um.. I also wanted to _properly_ thank you, for everything you did for Lydia. I don't exactly know, _what_ we would have been able to do, but thank you.”

 

Darcy's chin went back and Lizzie recognised his discomfort. “It's nothing Lizzie.” He answered.

 

It's not nothing, seriously, it was amazing, and so generous, I, I don't know how I could even _begin_ to repay you, and I just, wanted to tell you that. Without yelling.” She added for good measure.

 

Darcy nodded and cleared his throat. “Well, I am glad that I could be of some assistance in your family's plight. And that you were able to return to Pemberley.”

 

Lizzie took another step towards him, there was a twisting in her stomach and a sense of dread that what she was probably going to do, couldn't be reversed. Hours ago she had been ready to punch him, now, she was, well not wanting to.

 

“Thank you for having me back, it was, I mean, I felt I needed to.” Lizzie admitted and stared at Darcy. “Unfinished business.”

 

He looked down at her in the dim light, and she realised just how close they had gotten.

 

“Right. “

 

“Darcy, _William_ , I,” She had realised that she had been stuttering pretty much the entire time she had been alone with him and cleared her throat in an effort to start over. “I don't know how to, um, _explain_ , so I-” She trailed off, and took a breath as she decided to just go with what she wanted. Weeks of being away, of contemplating, of ignoring feelings, kind of had all led up to this.

 

Placing her hands on his chest, she leaned up and brushed her lips against his own. Once, twice, settling for the third time with his lips softly between her own. She was concentrating on what it felt like to actually, _finally_ , be kissing William Darcy when she realised he was stock still, unmoving, hadn't changed.

 

And then his hands were on hers, and he had drawn back, put her back a little to give them space.

 

“Lizzie,” Darcy swallowed, “This isn't what I want.”

 

Feeling something close to a fire burning in her face with humiliation and embarrassment, she dropped her hands and took a larger step backwards. “Oh, okay.” Were the only two words she could get out. She had just kissed William Darcy.

 

And he had rejected her.

 

And the worst part was she could still taste him on her lips. The bastard.

 

At least it hadn't happened on camera.

 

“Oh! Group photo!” Fitz's voice interrupted her thoughts as Gigi, Brandon and Fitz piled out on to the balcony.

 

“Fabulous people only, this is going on twitter so make it awesome.” Gigi explained and grabbed Darcy closer to the group, shoving him against Lizzie. And right then, nothing felt worse than to be pressed against the man who had just rejected her.

 

Fitz had wrangled a waiter nearby and had thrown an arm around Lizzie who was stil in a state of shock.

 

“On the count of three, everybody say Pemberley. One, Two, Three!”

 

“Pemberley.” Lizzie whispered as a flash went off in her eyes.

 

**A/N Oh.. would you like at the time..**

**Oh also, thank you to a kind reviewer kirashapedgirl for pointing out that I had previously posted chapter 2 and 3 exactly the same, chapter 3 should be updated to the actual chapter 3 now. Sorry!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

Lizzie had been quiet all morning. The Friday meetings designed to ensure that any problems over the weekend could be solved were necessary and probably incredibly helpful to her independent study, however, she hadn't written anything other than her name. The lines were blank, not even a doodle and the sick feeling in her stomach was enough to make her want to call it a day and go home.

Be away from the constant reminders of William Darcy. His beautiful company that she would kill to get a entry position at. The adoring workers who had nothing but praise for their young CEO and his work. It was all too hard to bare on a Friday morning and no solace in sight.

Startling back into awareness as chairs around her were being pushed back, she looked down at her pristine notebook and quickly covered it up. The last thing she needed on top of everything else in her life was to have it get back that she wasn't paying attention. Either of the Darcy's didn't need to know that and she didn't need to relive why.

Except she couldn't help reliving it. Every time she closed her eyes she felt what it was like to have his mouth on hers. Albeit a solid and unmoving mouth, but it was still Darcy, William Darcy's lips against hers and it had been surprisingly nice. Warm. And it was dangerous to think about it, because if she did, she would think about how it would have felt if he had kissed her back.

And that was obviously not an option any longer. Or probably ever was.

They had screwed up so many chances along the way, with miscommunication and things happening around them to force their choices, but it was finally hitting Lizzie that it really was kind of over. And there was a small to huge part of her that was disappointed. He had told her he loved her, she had rejected him, on camera.

If he had felt like she was feeling, it was no wonder that he wasn't going to be in love with her anymore. She felt sick and numb and preying for a time machine so that she could go back and take it all back. She felt humiliated. And then guilty that she felt that way as he had remained so nice to her afterwards and she had done so much worse.

Pushing her chair back, she stood from the table and grabbed her things to pack away. There was a set of notes about what she was meant to have been paying attention to left on the table and she grabbed them. At least she wouldn't completely ruin her independent study. Although she still had to organise for an interview with the CEO.

She hoped that under the circumstances where she was sure that he probably didn't want to see her, he would be willing to answer questions and give her the information through email.

Groaning a little aloud, she left the room and walked along the light filled corridors of the well designed building. It was designed to give a view of something interesting no matter where you stood. To inspire.

And that day, Lizzie couldn't see a thing.

Pushing the button for the elevator, she ran a hand over ponytail to smooth anything she might have missed. Stepping on, it took her three floors to realise that Gigi had been standing next to her the entire time, talking, and she hadn't heard a word.

"Oh, sorry what?" Lizzie tried to cover.

"I _said_ oh probably two floors back,, that you seemed distracted in the meeting." Gigi answered with a grin.

"You were in the meeting?"

The grin widened and Gigi giggled at Lizzie's ignorance. "I'm a Darcy, I need to go to some of them." She answered simply, "So... distracted."

Lizzie saw no point anymore in denying things. There wasn't anything to deny really. She had done what she had done, kissed him, and he hadn't felt the same. She was stupid for not asking first. He had at least talked to her before hand.

"Yeah, a little."

Gigi had the look on her face that suggested something about cream and cats. "Why?"

Sighing, Lizzie stepped out of the elevator on her floor and waited for the inevitable Gigi to follow her. "It's-" Lizzie tried to explain, "Hard to explain."

Her words were becoming a cop out. For somebody who studied mass communications, she seemed to really suck at communicating massively.

"Nothing is _hard_ to explain, it's more that you just don't _want_ to explain it that is the hard bit. But luckily we are at your office and I have no projects."

Luckily didn't seem to be the word for it.

"You're right," Lizzie conceded, "But Gigi, this really isn't something I want to get into. At least, not right now."

It was only Friday, she had been back for a week and she already wanted to go home. The company was beautiful, the people were lovely, but it hurt to be there.

Maybe that was why Darcy had left Collins and Collins so quickly after _that_ video.

It had hurt.

It really hurt.

"Is it about William?" Gigi completely ignored her and sat down on the bench she used to make her videos. "Because I will say, you two were oddly quiet the rest of the evening."

Because they had nothing left to talk about.

"Gigi-" Lizzie began, "I mean it. It's not something I want to talk about."

"Did he declare his love for you again?"

"No.."

"Because he didn't do it on camera."

"I know Gigi-"

"So really he has improved his game by quite a lot."

"I know Gigi but-"

"And you two are getting on so well, oh my god did you reject him again?"

She wasn't going to lie, the barb stung pretty deep.

"Stop Gigi." Lizzie tried harder to get her to cease the ramblings.

"Oh good, so you do like him?"

"Gigi-"

"I knew you liked him."

She was beginning to get exasperated by where this was going. Not only because it seemed to be a broken record, and she adored Gigi, but everything about this place reminded her of him. Gigi looked so much like him it was hard to be in the same room.

"I have to go." Lizzie answered simply and grabbed her bag from her desk.

"Go?" Gigi stood up from the bench. "You just got here."

"And now I need to go."

"Go where?" Gigi asked, worry in her tone.

"I don't know, I just- have to go." Lizzie stuttered out as she packed her keys into her bag and headed for the door.

"Wait, you have two more meetings you're scheduled to-"

Lizzie was sure that there was more to that sentence but she was out the door and down the corridor before she could hear the rest of it. The cream walls of Pemberley Digital pasing by in a blur as she blindly walked the rabbit hole to the elevators.

Pushing the button, she waited with desperate hope that it would come sooner than later. The facade of strength was cracking and there was nothing but hurt under it she was sure that if she actually had to speak she would be exposed.

Hearing the bell, she stepped on without looking and waited for the doors to shut, sealing her into the box.

Closing her eyes, she knew that there were others in the elevator with her, but she knew instinctively that he was there. The height was unmistakeable and try as she might, she couldn't push aside the knowledge that she now knew what he smelled like up close. Opening her eyes quickly, she stared at the silver doors of the elevator and tried not to think of the fate that had gotten her there.

Weren't there meant to be romance books written about this? The coincidental meeting on an elevator ,the accidental stop button being pressed and their happy ever after. Weren't they supposed to be having sex in an empty car? Realising their true potential and would be kissing by the ground floor.

A splutter of laughter echoed out of her mouth as she tried to hold it back.

Her story with William Darcy was anything but a romance tale. It was more a cautionary story about what not to do on the internet. A fable about not assuming things. A moralistic interlude about how things were going were going to bite her in the ass.

Romance was definitely not what would describe her tale with William Darcy.

Another splutter of laughter and she stepped out on the next floor, sure that if she stayed in the elevator another floor she would probably be in hysterics. The stairs were better for her anyway. Leaning against a wall of the first floor, she looked out the window to the near street view of San Franscisco and tried to regain some composure.

She knew he was there, watching her and turned her head to see William Darcy looked worried.

"Are you alright?" He asked her simply. The simple questions were always easier with the Darcy family.

"Perfectly fine." Lizzie lied. "A little claustrophobic in there."

Darcy frowned but didn't press her on the matter as he pulled his chin back. A motion she hadn't seen in some weeks. He was awkward around her again. Because she had forced him to be awkward around her again. By kissing him. Against his wishes.

"You seemed-" Darcy began, using his patented manner of speaking as he searched for the right words. "On edge."

Lizzie almost snorted at that.

"No." The lies kept coming as if she was trying to convince herself. "Just fine."

"I see." Darcy's deep voiced echoed in the wide hallway. "I wish I could stay longer-" He attempted but Lizzie cut him off.

"You have meetings."

And every passing second between them only made it worse. He was withdrawn, she was slowly breaking.

It was truly over. There was nothing more to be said.

"Yes, although I will make time-"

"No." Lizzie cut him off again although her words were gentle. "You have meetings." He had already made enough time for her. Chosen to waste time with her when he had a company to run. And she couldn't do it any more. She couldn't let him do it anymore.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but merely nodded instead.

"Very well." Another crack in Lizzie's facade broke open as there was a tinge of hurt in his spoken words.

"Have a good day Darcy." Lizzie spoke quietly, repeating the words from videos long since passed, with feelings she now had to deal with. It was better to repeat the past that already existed than to step into the unknown.

She didn't reach for him this time and she wondered if he noticed.

"About last night-" Darcy tried again to initiate a conversation they had not had already.

"No." Lizzie spoke, gathering her wits about her as she stood up from the wall. "I'm sorry about last night," She told him with her chin high although her eyes didn't reflect it. She wanted to tell him so he wouldn't automatically apologise for her wrongdoing. "I was out of line. And I'm sorry for forcing you to do something you regret."

The words were out before she knew what she had said and Darcy stared at her as if she slapped him.

"Regret?" He inquired.

"I think it's an apt description don't you?" Lizzie asked.

"Lizzie.. I don't regret.." Darcy took a step towards her as a man came around the corner.

"Mr Darcy, there you are, the meeting has been in for the past five minutes." The executive gave her a perfunctory nod but probably didn't know her name.

"And I will be five minutes more." Darcy interrupted.

Lizzie felt the overwhelming feeling coming back up her throat at that, she wasn't capable of polite conversation with William Darcy right now. "I should go." Lizzie instructed both of them, running out of words.

"Lizzie-" Darcy tried to speak.

"I'm sorry for holding you up Mr Darcy, I know that you're busy."

She turned and walked away, still hearing the words from last night in her head.

_This isn't what I want_.

And with every turn through the corridors for the stair case. With every step she took down. All she could think in return as she took in her surrounding, the atmosphere, the company...

_This is exactly what I want._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Can I just take the time to say, you guys are the bomb. Seriously, the overwhelming support and vaguely/not vague at all threatening reviews are amazing and entertaining and make me want to hug you all. So thank you all for making the 5 am ride to work bearable with your amazingness.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own everything. Including that pot plant in the corner.

Ever since she was a kid, weekends were what Lizzie looked forward to the most. The times when she could catch up with the world. With homework, with friends, with family, it was always two full days where the things she most wanted to do weren't ignored in favour of something else. She had spent hours planning out how she would use those precious few hours in her life to the best advantage, usually ignoring them when something else came along, but they were hers. Those few hours were hers and hers alone to do what she wanted with them.

On Saturday when the alarm didn't wake her up, she felt dread at the weekend. Because in those few hours she didn't know what to do. She didn't want to be alone, she didn't want to be with others and she wished that she had something to occupy her mind so that it didn't sway towards the inevitable.

She hadn't seen Darcy since she had walked away from him the day before. Even Gigi had been radio silent, unusual for a girl who spent most of her time plotting and strangely avoiding any work she had to do.

There were perks being a Darcy in the company but she doubted that Gigi would get away with doing nothing and taking a pay check no matter what the profit margin was like.

Profit margins.

Her thesis.

Her independent study that she had wrangled her way into so she didn't have to go to class. It had seemed so many months ago like the perfect opportunity to get business contacts and a taste of the real world and frankly, Lizzie hated the real world.

If she had stayed in school she would nearly be done. Nearly have her masters and none of this would have happened. She wouldn't have gone to Collins and Collins, she wouldn't have taken a position with Pemberley Digital, but most of all, she wouldn't have seen Darcy again.

And that was bittersweet.

The sweetness only so she wouldn't have to know what he might be like if she had reciprocated the other night. And the bitter was everything else in between.

Great, she was becoming that girl. The girl that she hated in school and that Lydia made fun of throughout her own highschool experience.

The girl who obsessed about a guy and then cried when he rejected her for very good reasons. And Lizzie knew that Darcy had very good reasons for why he had rejected her. Starting with her lack of tact when rejecting him in the first place, and ending with broadcasting that tactless rejection to thousands of viewers without any regard whatsoever to what consequences that might have made in his real life.

He was a CEO. Of a business. In her field.

And she had humiliated him.

Fantastic work Bennet. It's amazing how the men weren't lined up around the block for her.

Groaning into her bedspread, she turned over and blinked at the clock which read far too early for her to start drinking or ignoring the day and groaned again.

Sticking her arm out, she began to feel around for the familiar feeling of her phone. Clasping around the cooler metal, she brought it closer to her and blinked a few times as she pushed hair out of her eyes.

Oh good, apparently she hadn't turned it off silent after that meeting and there were ten messages awaiting her.

Even pressing screen to open them up, she wasn't expecting anything from William Darcy. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

And that's exactly what she got.

_Where is the film to be edited?_

_Film? Edit? If I don't get it today than you won't have a video for tomorrow, and your viewers may be sympathetic about your life, but they won't care one iota if you don't give them something._

_Are you sick?_

_Seriously, this is not the time to play games Lizzie, if I haven't heard from you by lunch time than I am heading over there._

The messages all from Charlotte clogged up her inbox, as well as one from Gigi who had invited her out that night and Fitz telling her about his latest horoscope predictions meaning that he should head to Thailand and did she want to come.

She could ignore the latter two, but Charlotte she knew from experience would very much get to her by the end of the day if she didn't make a peep. Another inhuman noise came out of her throat as she found Charlotte's number in the contact list and hit dial.

“ _Hi, you've reached Charlotte Lu..”_

Lizzie hit the button to end the call and swung her legs out of bed. She changed her phone settings to actually make a noise and wake her up if she fell back asleep and headed for the bathroom to try and become human again.

She got two steps into the hallway when the doorbell rang.

Pausing mid stride, she hit panic on her internal settings and glanced around the apartment she was minding.

It couldn't. It wouldn't. Charlotte wouldn't be here by then, Gigi wasn't coming over and Fitz was on his way to Thailand or something like that. She hadn't read his message too quickly.

She paused for half a minute, assuming she must have just misheard and was about to continue her journey to semblance of normalcy when the doorbell rang again. A little more insistent than was probably necessary at this time of the morning. The first thing she would do when she became a millionaire was to invent doorbells that were nice and calming.

A gentle nudge in the direction of the door to suggest that someone was on the other side, and not the alarming panic that she was in pyjamas and the person on the other side of the door was either impatient or going to kill her.

Sighing, she dropped her towel on the bannister and stumbled towards the door to open it.

It wasn't halfway open when dread hit.

“Thailand baby!” Fitz called out. Gigi grinning next to him, and leaning against the car, looking thoroughly uncomfortable was William Darcy. Concentrating on his phone, although she thought she saw him glance up at her once.

“You're not serious.” Lizzie asked as she felt the beginning of Cirque de Soleil begin in her stomach. It seemed to be mostly floorwork at the time.

“Of course we're serious Lizzie B. One does not joke about Thailand.”

“Or babies. It's an awful joke. You shouldn't pretend to be pregnant.” Gigi piped up.

“Unless you're being kidnapped.” Fitz added.

“Or abducted, they can't impregnate you twice.”

“Or getting better seats on an aeroplane.”

“You tried that.” Gigi turned to Fitz.”And it didn't work.”

“I thought I pulled off that gown rather well thank you Gigi D.”

“Brandon didn't think so.”

“Brandon hadn't developed taste yet.” Fitz countered.

“Developed, or merely destroyed his taste?” Gigi tilted her chin up to challenge him.

“Guys!” Lizzie interrupted. “We're not going to Thailand.”

“Don't be silly of course we are.” Gigi waved off her concerns and took her shoulders to push her backwards through the door.

“I am not leaving the United States.” Lizzie nearly stumbled over her jacket from the previous day that had somehow landed next to the couch rather than on a coat hook.

“Why would we leave the United States?” Fitz asked, ignoring the jacket and jumping over the back of the couch to land on it with a grin.

Lizzie looked between the two grinning faces. One that was now very much at home flicking through the basic cable channels, and the other who was perched on the arm chair like she was about to explode if she didn't start talking soon.

“I believe that the confusion they have deliberately caused is regarding a Thai restaurant.” A deeper voiced interrupted and Lizzie turned, immediately remembering that she was in her pyjamas, her hair unbrushed and mascara running down her cheeks from where she had slept on it.

William Darcy apparently was unphased by any of this as he picked up the jacket on the ground and began to dust it off.

“We're going to have Thai food?” Lizzie spoke slowly.

“Power Rangers!” Fitz suddenly interrupted.

“Not only are we having Thai food Lizzie Bennet,” Gigi explained as she immediately sat on the couch next to Fitz, “But we are going to eat it whilst watching horrible TV on your couch.”

“How _dare_ you call Power Rangers horrible TV?” Fitz seemed genuinely affronted by her wording and Lizzie tuned out the rest of their conversation about what made good TV as she was now acutely aware that William Darcy was in her home.

Well, her temporary, belonging to somebody else and she was only minding it home. But her home all the same.

“You will have about an hour before food will be ordered if you wish to-” Darcy spoke, his eyes still on the jacket he held as if he didn't want to look at her.

She didn't blame him. It probably wasn't going to be any less awkward for the person who did the rejection than the rejectee. Lord knows that she had to see him for the first time after, well that day, it was awkward as anything.

“Oh, right, yes.” Lizzie managed to answer as she glanced down at what she was wearing.

“I am sorry that we seemed to have inconvenienced you, I did suggest that we contact you before we came, however, Gigi and Fitz seemed rather insistent, and they-” He trailed off and placed her jacket on the hook by the door.

For reasons unknown to Lizzie at the time, or whenever she looked back, she felt compelled to know the rest of the story.

“They?”

Darcy cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed by something as he lifted his eyes to look at Lizzie. “They took my keys to the car and threatened to drive it if I didn't go with them.”

Despite the past day and a half, she couldn't help the twitch of her mouth as a smile threatened to take over it. Darcy was afraid of letting somebody else drive his car. He was afraid of letting his sister and best friend drive his car.

“I-” Lizzie tried to hide her smile. “I see. And that would of course be horrible.”

“You have yet to see Gigi drive.” Darcy commented dryly as Fitz gave a rather enthusiastic pantomime of the power rangers transforming.

“Are they like this outside of the house?” Lizzie asked out aloud to nobody in particular.

“We have had to stop attending up scale restaurants unless they contain a kids menu or we have company.” Darcy answered honestly and Lizzie let out a snort of laughter.

It felt strange that after all of this, she was still amused by him. And then the mortification that she was still in pyjamas with bad hair and ruined make up hit her once more and she turned back towards the bathroom.

“Um, I-” Lizzie pointed. “I'll be in that direction. You might want to referee the match between pink and blue.”

Fitz was on the pink power ranger's side.

Without waiting for a reply, she headed towards the bathroom and the sanctuary of a locked door under the circumstance. She felt uncomfortable having a shower with others in the house, particularly, certain people in the house. But she could at least make herself look presentable.

“What are you doing?” She asked herself in the mirror quietly as she ran a brush through the mess of red that used to be her hair.

He was Darcy. She had kissed him. He had rejected her much nicer than she had rejected him . And yet he was perfectly comfortable with it all. This wasn't how any of this, any of this at all, was supposed to go.

Her face and hair in some order, she was still struggling with what to wear when Gigi burst into the bedroom unannounced and landed on the bed with enough force to bounce a few times.

“Are we brilliant or are we brilliant?” Gigi asked with a grin.

Lizzie didn't turn around as she asked. “Brilliant with what?”

“Getting you guys together again, just when you thought you wouldn't see him for two whole days, now you get him for the weekend. “

“Wha-” Lizzie tried.

“Oh we're staying the night, we would invite you over to our house, or rather William's house, but it's far too big that it wouldn't feel as cozy and on top of each other as you want to be on top of my brother.”

“Gigi!”

“I know, I know, I should find it gross talking about this as he is my brother, but there hasn't really been anybody else, so I never really got grossed out by it.” Gigi explained without waiting. “But see, Fitz and I worked out that you can't have more than three rooms here, so one of us will have to share, and who could that be?”

“I have a couch.”

“Not big enough.”

“It is for me.”

“William wouldn't make you do that.”

“Gigi-”

“Face it Lizzie Bennet, I have worked out every possible answer to every possible question, and after the other night when you got super weird around each other, it only made sense to make you guys realise that you can be more than just business people together.”

“I have to film-”

“We've all been on your videos, your viewers will love it. It'll be like the Lizzie Bennet guest star edition, with three others, your costume theatre would be awesome. OH!” She bounced on the bed a little bit more. “Can we all pretend to be each other, I want to be William, I'm not as good as you or Fitz, but I want to be William.”

How had this morning started off with her wanting to wallow in self-pity only to be turned around into her still in pyjamas with her house infested with people. Particularly one person.

“Gigi-”

“Oh don't be like that, and wear that dress.” She pointed to the one on the end. “You look good in it, and William will like it on you.”'

She hadn't intended to wear anything that would attract unwanted attention.

“I don't think that's going to be a problem.”

“Why not?”

“Because he rejected me.” Lizzie answered quietly and heard the intake of breath behind her that she assumed was Gigi realising her plan had gone south.

“I did?” A deeper voice interrupted.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies to everybody, I work 60-80 hour weeks so finding tmie is sometimes difficult to write, but I have an ending for this story which means I have to finish it at some point so it WILL be finished. 
> 
> Also I lied before, I don't own a pot plant, I never have. It just appeared one day. I don't know where it came from. If you are missing a pot plant, this one is green. Please contact me below so we can work out if it's yours. 
> 
> (Yes the disclaimer is a joke, I do not own the LBD.. or do I... no I do not)


	11. Chapter 11

Lizzie turned quickly at the same time as Gigi almost fell off the bed.

“You rejected her?!” Gigi was louder than was probably appropriate and Lizzie cringed at the look on Darcy's face as his sister's words sunk in and their meaning became apparent.

“I can assure you, I did not intentionally reject anybody.” Darcy spoke patiently although he hadn't taken his eyes off of her.

Lizzie stared back at him, not sure what to make of the sudden appearance by him. He wasn't the type to eavesdrop, nor was the type to listen even if he had heard his name. Even when he had been on video and overheard her and Charlotte, he hadn't let them go more than about two sentences before he had made them aware of his presence. Because no doubt, as a gentleman, one must never listen to another's conversation unless you have been invited.

But there was panic in her system. It never went away whenever they were around and Gigi was swinging her head back and forth that she was either declaring no to everything or had no idea where she was supposed to be looking.

“Who rejected who?” Fitz appeared at the door, grinning at Lizzie in her pyjamas. “If she gets to wear that, I'm changing.”

“You're not changing and he rejected _her._ ” Gigi pointed at Lizzie.

“What?”

“Yes.”

“No.” Fitz repeated.

“Yes, apparently.”

“I didn't reject anybody.” Darcy spoke softly and patiently as if he was dealing with children.

“Yes you did.” Lizzie interrupted.

“You rejected her?” Fitz asked as if he was still catching up with what was happening between them all.

“He rejected her.” Gigi put in.

“Why would he reject her?”

“I don't know, we leave them alone for five minutes and they manage to screw it up.”

“When did we leave them alone?”

“When did we leave you alone” Gigi turned the question on Lizzie.

“At the restaurant.”

“You rejected her at the restaurant?” Gigi swung back to Darcy.

“So that's why they were weird.” Fitz nodded his head slowly

  
“Yes.” Lizzie answered.

 

“No.” Darcy spoke at the same time.

 

“They can't even be trusted to work out if they were rejected or not.” Gigi whined.

 

“How are we meant to send them on a date? They'll come home either married because they accidentally signed something or deported somewhere.”

 

“We can't be deported, we are US citizens.” Darcy managed to interject but was simultaneously ignored.

 

“But then they'll be divorced by the time they get home from the date.”

 

“And who pays the legal fees?” Fitz asked.

 

“At least Lizzie will get a job.” Gigi pointed out.

 

“Thanks.” Lizzie spoke dryly, figuring that if they were going to discuss the rise and fall of her own married life, than she may as well have some word said about it.

 

“What will the children think?” Fitz was ignoring both of them, talking only to Gigi as Lizzie shot a glance at Darcy.

 

He was looking back at her with an expression she couldn't read. She didn't even know if it was a good or a bad thing. Or perhaps exasperation at the entire subject. But he hadn't rejected her? That was the question of the moment. Because from where Lizzie had been, she thoroughly felt rejected.

 

“What children?” Darcy asked and then cringed as both Fitz and Gigi laughed.

 

“The children the two of you are having, we've decided that you guys will somehow get pregnant, twins?”

 

“Twins.” Gigi confirmed.

 

“Then they can split them in the divorce.” Fitz nodded.

 

“Again.” Lizze interrupted. “Thanks.”

 

“Hush.” Gigi waved her hand towards Lizzie. “And wear that dress.”

 

“We're having dinner-” Lizzie threw her hands up, it wasn't like she was going to be haerd anyway and grabbed the dress from the hanger as she tossed it on the bed. “Do you guys mind?”

 

“No.” Fitz and Gigi answered simultaneously.

 

“Gay.”

 

“Vying for you to be my sister.”

 

“Hardly awkward.”

 

They both looked at Darcy who had just caught up with what Lizzie was asking and had gone a shade of red that Lizzie hadn't seen before. It both fascinated and surprised her. Why would he be embarrassed by somebody who he had rejected the night before.

 

“I'll leave you to get changed.”

 

Before she could open her mouth to either thank him or assure him tha the was able to stay as why not, she might get her rent paid out of it with the tips, he was gone. Gigi and Fitz however seemed perfectly content to find places to sit to watch the show.

 

“Easily done.” Gigi sat on the bed, kicking her legs up to relax against the pillows.

 

“Predictable really.” Fitz sunk into the chair next to the desk that Lizzie never used. She preferred to spread her notes out on a kitchen table so she could see everything at once than to use a pokey little desk that barely held one folder properly.

 

“He was never able to stand our conversations so we use them occasionally when we need him gone.” Gigi explained.

 

“In a nice way.” Fitz added for good measure.

 

“Right.” Lizzie was fed up with it all, confused, and wanted nothing more than for her life to go back to the self pitying party that it had been before, but apparently despite the annoyance, that wasn't going to be an option anytime soon.

 

“So, “ Gigi grinned as Lizzie stalked into the only corner that had some shelter that she could hide behind to at least get some of the basics done in private. “How exactly did he reject you?”

 

Lizzie contemplated ignoring them. Figuring that she owed them that much when they had done nothing but try to incite the arguments between them in the meantime. But she was trapped in a room with only her underwear on and two very insistent people that would probably take all her clothes ransom if she didn't talk.

 

“I kissed him. He said he didn't want that. He rejected me.” Lizzie spoke the three sentences out aloud and as they fell from her lips she felt the overwhelming need to cry again. Even explaining it to two people who were trying to get them together felt really hard and she hadn't even gone anywhere near the others.

 

“You kissed him?!” Gigi spluttered and sat up straight on the bed.

 

“Way to go to Lizzie B.”

 

She rolled her eyes and stepped out of the corner so she could retrieve the dress and tugged it over her head with a bit more force than was probably necessary.

  
“Fabric!” Fitz spoke with an almost hurt expression on his face.

 

“I kissed him. He didn't want that kiss. Therefore, the rejection. Can we please drop it now?” Lizzie asked as yet another person's voice entered.

 

“You kissed him?” The third person's voice spoke. “And you didn't film it? And you didn't call me back again? And you are getting dressed in front of two people? So I can assume you've either become a stripper of some sort or this is a ritual that I want no part of.”

 

Charlotte was now standing in the bedroom door and Lizzie stared at the ceiling to try and hold on to some sort of patience with the world.

 

“Is there a reason that I cannot get dressed in peace today?” Lizzie asked.

 

“It's four o'clock in the afternoon on a Saturday, and I don't have time tomorrow to edit, so if you want something by Monday at 9 am, than you need to get it done now.” Charlotte answered.

 

“Sure, I'll get it done now.” Lizzie could feel the sarcasm in her voice as she spoke. “Because as we've learnt, humiliating people on camera is what I do best. “

 

“Lizzie.” Gigi tried to interject but she brushed past them all and headed out to the living room.

 

She knew that deep down they were trying to help. She knew that they had the best of intentions and she would probably regret anything she would say and do, but she had felt an upheaval of emotions in the past two days that wasn't doing much for her nerves. Her patience was fried and she was exhausted from trying to put on a brave face when all she wanted to do was have time to herself.

 

And her house was filled with people. Wanting to stay. Wanting explanations. Wanting things from her that she would normally be able to give but she was on edge.

 

“Lizzie.” A patient and deep voice came from the kitchen and Lizzie put a hand over face to cover her eyes.

 

She couldn't deal with this right now. Not now. Not with all of this around her. Not after yesterday.

 

“I can't.” She said softly.

  
“What's wrong?” The immediate concern was enough to shatter any sort of facade she had left and she could only shake her head.

 

“Lizzie.” A large hand on her shoulder startled her but she didn't shake it off.

 

“I can't.” She spoke quietly again, there was a quiver to it that she despised.

 

“Can't what? What can I help you with?” He was insistent and caring and an ass for it. He didn't just reject her and then try to fix it as if it wasn't his fault.

 

“This.” She spoke even quieter that she wasn't sure if he heard her. “Us. I can't.”

 

There was silence on the other end of the line as he heard what she spoke and stilled. Slowly the hand on her shoulder was dropped and she could sense even through her closed eyes that he had straightened and tension had returned between them.

 

“I see.” He answered, although not aggressively as she would imagine.

 

“Do you?” Lizzie asked and dropped her head to look at him. Shrugging, almost submissively she tried to smile at him but failed. “At least one of us can.”

 

“If there is something that I can-” Darcy tried but she cut him off.

 

“No, I don't want you to be uncomfortable, not after Thursday.” She was trying to be magnanimous but she doubted that she would have pulled it off.

 

“I-” Darcy paused as if trying to find the words. “I am confused about your interpretation of Thursday.”

 

“What's to be confused about?” Lizzie asked. “I get it Darcy. Thank you.” She added. “For being... nice about it. You were far greater than I was.”

 

He deserved somebody who was better at it than she was. She knew that. And she was willing to let it go.

 

“I-I'm confused.”

 

“Me too.” Lizzie confessed quietly. “And I can't. This. Us. I don't know how you did it but it hurts too much.”

 

He recoiled at her words, his chin tucking back against his neck as he nodded.

 

Swallowing, he coughed once to clear his throat and nodded again stiffly at her. “Very well Lizzie. I- I will leave you be than. And shall communicate with you on Monday about anything further that you need from Pemberley.”

 

She couldn't speak, couldn't open her mouth to ask him what he meant or about any of it. It hurt too much. So she nodded and watched him leave as the sound of footsteps came closer.

 

The front door was opened and softly closed that she thought she might have imagined it until Gigi walked in.

 

“What happened?” She asked, staring at Lizzie's face.

 

“Not today Gigi.” Lizzie told her honestly.

 

“But he loves you-”

 

“Loved. If he did. I think it was more attraction.” Lizzie answered.

 

“Oh my god we can't leave you alone for any amount of time. Ever!” Gigi was frustrated and Lizzie could understand that but she couldn't help the outburst that followed.

 

“Maybe if we'd been left alone Gigi, we would have worked things out for ourselves. Every argument since I've come back to Pemberley has been because of meddling. Has been because of helpful hints and pushing us together. Maybe if we had been left alone it wouldn't have come to that. I would have worked out that he didn't want me anymore, and he would have found a way to let me down that didn't leave me like this. But we weren't left alone. Ever.” Lizzie told her and winced herself at how harsh it was.

 

“I was only-”

 

“Trying to help. I know. I know you were only trying to help. But how many times did we ask you not to? Did he tell you to drop things? It was because of a reason. The reason being that we were never on the same page. But when everybody around us insists we are, we get our hopes up. And then we work out that we weren't even reading the same book let alone been on the same page. And it hurts.”

 

By this time both Charlotte and Fitz had come into the room and Gigi was staring at her with wide eyes like a doe.

 

“I'm- I'm sorry but-”

 

“No.” Lizzie cut her off. “There is no buts to this. At all. The more you guys pushed us together, the worse it got. When it could have just faded out.”

 

“I wasn't going to let my brother, who hasn't let anybody in since our parents die just fade out.” Gigi interrupted Lizzie this time.

 

“But it's gone Gigi. He doesn't want me He doesn't love me. He probably hasn't for months, but I bought into it. I bought into all of it and thought that things would be different.”

 

“Lizzie,” Charlotte tried to interrupt them.

 

“He loves you.”

 

“He rejected me!”

 

“Are you ever going to trust him?” Gigi finally spat out. “Ever? Like really are you going to trust him?! Because the first sign of trouble you're gone. He loves you. And don't say that you know better because he is my brother and he is all I have! I watched him grow up and disappear into his shell, I know what he's like when he's around people he cares about. You've judged him from the beginning and haven't opened your eyes since.”

 

“Gigi D.” It was Fitz's turn to step between them.

 

“I apologised for that.”

 

“And he apologised to you.” Gigi pointed out. “But again, first sign of trouble-”

 

“How is telling me he doesn't want me trouble? It's pretty clear.”

 

“You misheard.”

 

“And you're fantasising about a life that doesn't exist.”

 

“Lizzie!” Charlotte almost choked out, shocked at what was happening between the pair.

 

“If this.. if THIS was a fantasy, I would have my parents back. William wouldn't have needed to sacrifice everything for me that he would probably already be married to somebody NICE, and I wouldn't be dealing with a stubborn cow that won't open her damn eyes and is willing to call it quits because it hurt for two days. Two months between when you rejected him and when you saw him again. That's how long it hurt for William. Until I shoved you together again and he started to feel better.” Gigi threw back at her. “In two months time, you'll be begging me to throw you two together again so you can talk. And you know what, you guys are on your own.”

 

“Gigi-” Fitz interrupted but Gigi had turned and headed for the door. Sighing, he looked back at Lizzie and shrugged. “I'll talk to you later Lizzie B.”

 

Lizzie stared at the afro on the way out and felt the tears come out of her eyes. She had lost everybody. In two days she had lost everybody. Charlotte was silent between them for awhile until Lizzie finally choked out.

  
“Harsh?”

 

“Kind of deserved on her behalf, but harsh.” Charlotte confirmed, never one to pull punches with Lizzie.

 

“I'm horrible.”

 

“Yeah you are.”

 

Lizzie choked out a semi-laugh but it was overtaken by tears.

 

“Why does this hurt so much?” Lizzie asked as she wiped them away.

 

“Because you're in love with him.”

 

She stopped at that and stared at Charlotte who merely stared back.

 

“....Shit.”


End file.
